The Child Grant Plus Parenting Programme in Nepal: Economic Evaluation and Cost of Future Scale Up (2025)

The Child Grant Plus Parenting Programme (CG Plus), developed by Save the Children, enhances Nepal’s Child Grant cash transfer initiative by integrating parenting support to improve early childhood development. This study evaluates the economic impact of CG Plus from 2022 to 2024, focusing on short- and long-term cost-effectiveness and scalability. Using data from 962 parents across three time points, the short-term analysis found that an additional NPR 6,800 (US$48) yielded one unit improvement in child development outcomes. Long-term projections suggest CG Plus leads to three extra years of schooling and a 7% increase in lifetime earnings, with a return of US$12 for every US$1 invested. Compared to the Child Grant alone, CG Plus is significantly more cost-effective, requiring less investment to achieve similar developmental gains. Scaling CG Plus to Madhesh province is estimated at NPR 1,350 (US$10) per child. Overall, CG Plus demonstrates strong economic and developmental benefits, even under conservative assumptions.