the use of existing indigenous community structures and platforms to provide an accessible and credible service delivery platform where children and their families live, and the provision of quality early childhood development services. 7.3.1 Social protection for children 358. The national Agenda for Social Protection was recently developed by a multi-agency Steering Committee under the leadership of the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA). The agenda, which will be implemented through a partnership of government, civil society and the private sector, will focus on reducing the social and economic vulnerability of a full spectrum of people living in crisis situations, notably ‘vulnerable and excluded children’. The Agenda aims to ensure the development and support of those living in poverty, the unemployed (including unemployed youth), people living with a chronic illness or disability through livelihood programmes and conditional cash transfers. This Agenda supports the National Youth Policy (2003) which commits to the empowerment of youth in the post-war setting through the development of youth associations and job creations schemes. 359. Within the framework of the Agenda for Social Protection, the GoSL has, together with its key development partners such as UNICEF and the World Bank agreed to prioritize the provision of cash transfers to extremely poor households with children. It is expected to cover 14 percent of households in Sierra Leone whose total household expenditure falls below the poverty line of Le 925,000 per adult per annum. The provision of social security to the targeted beneficiaries is scheduled to commence in 2014. It will be phased in and will initially be rolled out in 4 districts based on the absolute number of extremely poor households with children. 360. Initially the transfer will be in the amount of US$15 dollars per household per month (which covers about 25 percent of household expenditure). The programme is intended to complement and enhance access to, the efficacy and the impact of the existing social protection programme of services for children such as free health care and free primary education. The cash transfers will enable families to cover the opportunity costs which must be covered to access these free benefits, such as transport and additional education costs such as uniforms. In addition, the programme will work closely with the education, health and other sectors to ensure that recipient families have the necessary information and adequate support to benefit from other social services. 361. There will be no conditionalities attached to receipt of the benefit. It will be complemented through the provision and encouragement of recipients to access information and attend meetings on nutrition and education. Registration and payment will be electronic. Strong use will be made of cell phone technology to address physical access barriers. 362. There is some uncertainty as to the projected time line for scaling up the provision of social security. At present more donors are coming on board. The programme is currently supported by the World Bank (US $10 million), UNICEF (US$ 0,3 million) and the GoSL (US$1 million). The GoSL anticipates that after two years there will be adequate information and evidence and a technical foundation for scaling up nationally. 7. Health and Welfare  91