A Pilot Trial of an Unconditional Cash Transfer for Pregnant Women With HIV in Botswana
The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of an unconditional cash transfer intervention to improve mental bandwidth, ART adherence, and postpartum retention among pregnant women with HIV in Botswana. The main questions it seeks to answer are: 1. Do unconditional monthly cash transfers improve mental bandwidth relative to usual care among pregnant women with HIV? 2. Do unconditional monthly cash transfers improve ART adherence (PDC) during pregnancy and the postpartum period? 3. Is delivery of UCTs via mobile money feasible and acceptable in public ANC clinics in Botswana? 4. What barriers and facilitators affect implementation, and how should the model be adapted for a larger trial or a policy pilot (e.g., a pregnancy support grant)?
• Age 18 years or greater
• Botswana citizen
• Seeking/receiving antenatal care at antenatal clinics managed by the District Health Management Teams in Gaborone and Mogoditsane-Thamaga District
• Confirmed pregnancy by standard laboratory methods (generally urine testing)
• \<20 weeks gestational age (by ultrasound dating)
• HIV seropositive
• Economically vulnerable (self-reported annual income below the Botswana poverty line of 14,000 BWP per year, equivalent to the international poverty line of $2.15 in 2017 purchasing power parity)