Abstrack:
The government of Indonesia to address problems related with poverty initiates the Indonesian conditional cash transfer program called Program Keluarga Harapan (PKH). This program attempts to modify social and economic situation experienced by extreme poor family through health and education approach. This grant is directed to children and pregnant women with several conditions to be met by the recipient. To describe how recipients of PKH (mother of children under five years) allocate their funding assistance. This study was conducted in Yogyakarta Regency among 45 mothers of children under five years who receive PKH between August 2012 and April 2013. This qualitative study employed a phenomenological approach. Data were collected through in-depth interview using semi-structured questionnaires. Several responses were obtained from the respondents on how they allocate their grants. The vast majority spent the funding from PKH for their children, to pay tuition fee, buy books, uniforms, and shoes. They also used the grant to support household needs such as meals and pay debts. Contrastingly, only few of them allocated the grants for their children under five years health such as to buy healthy food, milk, and vitamin. Most of them argued that PKH was intended for education of their child only, thus the grants were directed to the older children to support their education. Mother of children under five years spent their PKH grants in various ways and limited was allocated for their children under five years health. Although, no rules regulate funding allocation, proper use needs to be promoted to the recipient to achieve greater impact of PKH.
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