Maintains - Research supporting social services to adapt to shocks

Towards shock-responsive social protection

This study examines how the social protection systems in the six Maintains countries have been adapted or expanded in the COVID-19 response. It aims to identify policy actions to better prepare national social protection systems to respond to future shocks.

Cash transfer payment as part of a social assistance programme in North-eastern Kenya.
Credit: Colin Crowley

Cash transfer as part of a social security program in Northeastern Kenya.

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Aims of the programme

We want to enable countries to more effectively manage their risk, ensuring their social services are able to respond more quickly, more reliably, and at lower cost, during and after a shock.

Helping families cope with future food disasters in Kenya.
Credit: Charlotte Morgan/DFID

Where we work

Maintains works in six countries, gathering evidence and seeking practical insights to influence thinking and inform policy and practice within – and beyond – these countries.

People fleeing violence in Myanmar are provided with UK aid in Bangladesh.
Credit: DFID

People fleeing violence in Burma are provided with UK aid in Bangladesh

COVID-19 and the urban poor in Ethiopia

This six-part urban study in Ethiopia aims to help the government design social policies and interventions to reduce the impact of the pandemic. Part three live now

A man carrying a load of wheat on his shoulder wearing a protective mask in Addis Ababa.
Credit: Amanuel Sileshi

Maintains is an operational research programme that will develop a stronger evidence base on how countries’ health, education, nutrition, and social protection systems can adapt and expand in response to changing needs during and after shocks, such as floods, droughts, disease outbreaks, population displacements, and pandemics, whilst also continuing to provide existing essential services.

Supporting response

In our Resource Centre you will find evidence and practice gathered by our expert authors and researchers from six focal countries — Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, and Uganda — which is used to inform policy and practice globally. To help tackle the coronavirus pandemic, our COVID-19 research is supporting governments to respond and recover from this shocking pandemic in real time. Also, check out our News and Blogs for more detailed insight, thoughts, and opinions from our research leaders. Don’t forget that you can follow all our latest news on so please do like, share, and comment – we’d love to hear your views on all our latest research.

Maintains seeks solutions that promote equitable responses and support inclusion, and explores disaster risk financing options to enable a swift and efficient scaleup across six focus countries.

Ultimately, the programme seeks to improve health, education, nutrition and social protection outcomes for affected populations, especially the poorest and most vulnerable people and therefore play our part in improving response to shocks. We also look at broader areas of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) and Disaster Risk Financing.

The five-year programme, launched in 2018, is led by Oxford Policy Management (OPM) and funded by UK aid from the UK government. The Aga Khan University, Centre for Humanitarian Change, and Dalan Development Consultants are partners on the project.

Supporting response

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