Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA)
Emergency cash transfers, nutrition and livelihood assistance for chronically food insecure households in Malawi (2016-17)
In May 2016, the Government of Malawi (GoM), assessed 6.5 million people out of total population of 16.8M (39 percent) would not be able to meet their annual food requirements during the 2016/17 consumption period. Additionally, over 1.8 million people were in need of agricultural inputs to restore their livelihoods. About 31 per cent of the cultivated land was affected by the drought, of which 13 per cent was severely affected. Poor nutrition and increased mortality rates were of particular concern in 24 out of a total of 28 districts. Approximately 975,000 children aged 6-23 months and pregnant and lactating women were particularly at risk of food insecurity and malnutrition and requiring nutritional treatment.
The high level of food insecurity was due to two consecutive years of below average production of all key agricultural crops. In 2014/15 Malawi had the worst growing season for seven years, and this was followed by the worst floods in history in January 2015 and then widespread prolonged dry spells. Malawi was then severely impacted by one of the strongest El Niño events in 35 years. This climactic phenomenon has brought below average rainfall in the central and southern regions, and higher than normal rainfall in the north of the country. In response the food insecurity, the President of Malawi declared a state of disaster on 12 April 2016.
In order to address the significant challenges posed by El Niño in Malawi, CARE proposed a comprehensive cash transfer, nutrition and livelihoods response to reduce the vulnerability crisis-affected people, especially women, girls and boys in Salima. The project focuses on three immediate outcomes. First, the project will improve capacity of at-risk populations to meet basic needs and reduce negative coping strategies through cash transfers. Second, the project will focus on improving the nutritional status of women and children through awareness raising, demonstrations of best practices related to food preparing and provision of kitchen garden inputs. Finally, the project will increase the self-reliance of at risk population through the provision of seeds and tools as well as training on post-distribution harvest and storage techniques. [19 pages]
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The high level of food insecurity was due to two consecutive years of below average production of all key agricultural crops. In 2014/15 Malawi had the worst growing season for seven years, and this was followed by the worst floods in history in January 2015 and then widespread prolonged dry spells. Malawi was then severely impacted by one of the strongest El Niño events in 35 years. This climactic phenomenon has brought below average rainfall in the central and southern regions, and higher than normal rainfall in the north of the country. In response the food insecurity, the President of Malawi declared a state of disaster on 12 April 2016.
In order to address the significant challenges posed by El Niño in Malawi, CARE proposed a comprehensive cash transfer, nutrition and livelihoods response to reduce the vulnerability crisis-affected people, especially women, girls and boys in Salima. The project focuses on three immediate outcomes. First, the project will improve capacity of at-risk populations to meet basic needs and reduce negative coping strategies through cash transfers. Second, the project will focus on improving the nutritional status of women and children through awareness raising, demonstrations of best practices related to food preparing and provision of kitchen garden inputs. Finally, the project will increase the self-reliance of at risk population through the provision of seeds and tools as well as training on post-distribution harvest and storage techniques. [19 pages]
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Evaluation of the 2017 Somalia Humanitarian Cash-Based Response
Cash Based Assistance (CBA) has been used by humanitarian organisations in Somalia to assist people in need since 2003. After several years of poor rainfall, the humanitarian community responded to a famine alert issued in January 2017 with a significant scale-up of funding and programmes. Having originally published a 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) in November 2016, by May 2017, the Somalia Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) revised the HRP upwards to target 5.5 million people needing assistance. The United Nations (UN), Red Cross, Red Crescent Movement and numerous international and national NGOs delivered a wide variety of life-saving and livelihood support CBA to vulnerable people across the country. [72 pages] Read More...
Post Distribution Monitoring Report: Cash for Non-Food Item Distribution to IDPs
This Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) assessment was carried out by CARE ENSAF project staff on 14 –Sep -2107 in Kabul province. The distribution of Cash for NFI to 28 displaced households was carried out in Aug, 2017 by CARE ENSAF project. The purpose of the PDM was (1) to evaluate the appropriateness, effectiveness and targeting of the distribution to households affected by the displacements form unsecure province , and (2) to provide recommendations for future Cash for NFI response or kind NFI response to humanitarian program management inside CARE. [4 pages] Read More...
Emergency Food Assistance for Somalis
With funds from the United States Agency for International Development/Food for Peace USAID/FFP), CARE implemented the Emergency Food Assistance for Somalis (EFAS) project from April 2017-May 2018 in the Sanaag and Sool regions of Somalia/Somaliland benefiting 13,882 households. Respondents and CARE felt that the impact was positive. The cash transfer helped recipients met basic needs, improve credit, positively impacted local markets and promoted impendence for women in shopping. Mobile money was an efficient delivery mechanism allowing for a fast project start-up, and beneficiaries access to fund. Mobile money service providers were inefficient in coordinating for service delivery but CARE took measures to counter this. CARE’s project approaches were efficient especially the use of the Biometric Beneficiaries Registration System, expeditated administrative processes, and staff deployment, but they were also viewed as bureaucratic. (41 pages) Read More...
Emergency Food Assistance for Somalis After Action Review
CARE implemented the Emergency Food Assistance for Somalis (EFAS) project over twelve months (April 2017 – March
2018) the Sool and Sanaag regions of Somalia/Somaliland. With funding from USAID, the project provided unconditional cash transfers to communities in need in 135 villages under Caynabo, Lascanod, Cerigabo, Celafweyn and Badhan Districts to 13,182 households (HH). As part of the project evaluation, CARE sought to complete an After-Action Review (AAR) with the staff who supported the project implementation. (26 pages) Read More...
2018) the Sool and Sanaag regions of Somalia/Somaliland. With funding from USAID, the project provided unconditional cash transfers to communities in need in 135 villages under Caynabo, Lascanod, Cerigabo, Celafweyn and Badhan Districts to 13,182 households (HH). As part of the project evaluation, CARE sought to complete an After-Action Review (AAR) with the staff who supported the project implementation. (26 pages) Read More...
Emergency response to support vulnerable person affected by El Nino in great South of Madagascar
This document is the final evaluation of the project “Emergency Response to support vulnerable person affected by El Nino in the Great South of Madagascar” from September 2016 to February 2018 and funded by ECHO. This project targeted seven communes in the district of Ambovombe. The action assisted 25 092 persons with cash transfer (cash for Work and unconditional cash transfer), support to agricultural activities (distribution of tools and drought-tolerant seeds) and improved access to drinking water. This final evaluation was conducted in March and April 2018 by an external consultant. Read More...
Zimbabwe Emergency Food Security Mobile Cash Transfer Programme
The Zimbabwe Emergency Food Security Mobile Cash Transfer Response (ZEFSMCTR) Program implementation commenced in April 2016 in Gokwe South; this was against a backdrop of increasing food insecurity in the targeted communities of the district. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee’s (ZimVac) rapid assessment report of January 2016 had projected that 33% of households in the southern districts of the country would be food insecure during the peak hunger period (January to March 2016). The food insecurity was attributed to the El Nino phenomenon that resulted in poor crop and livestock performance resulting in a drought. The government of Zimbabwe declared a state of drought disaster for the 2015/16 agriculture season, on 4 February 2016 and appealed for humanitarian support of US$1.5 billion. [13 pages] Read More...
Zimbabwe ‘Cash First’ Humanitarian Response 2015–2017 Evaluation report
This report is an independent evaluation of the DFID-funded Zimbabwe Humanitarian Response 2015–2017, produced by Oxford Policy Management (OPM) in association with Humanitarian Outcomes. The evaluation was commissioned by CARE International in Zimbabwe. The evaluation was led by Andrew Kardan and the qualitative data collection was led by Sarah Bailey. An incountry workshop on the findings was conducted by Paul Harvey and Andrew Kardan. The evaluation’s design and research were also supported by Molly Scott, Marta Favara, Chris Hearle and Helen Morris. The qualitative data collection was conducted with support from Jimat Consulting. Finally Sheila Chikulo provided peer review inputs. [107 page] Read More...
Zimbabwe Food and Nutrition Emergency Cash Transfer Programme
The programme objective was to mitigate the effects drought induced of El Nino induced food insecurity in 3 wards namely ward 8, 11 and 12 of Gokwe North district.. The aim was to improve Household (HH) food security through unconditional mobile cash transfers and increase access to nutrition intervention to prevent, identify and treat severe and moderate acute malnutrition among children (0-59 months) from February- April 2017. . Under the programme CARE through ECHO funding, reached its target of 9 400 beneficiaries (4 446 men; 4 954 women), drawn from 1 799 households in the district were registered to receive monthly cash transfers to assist them in meeting expenses for basic household needs from February up to April 2017 The cash transfer value was USD7/person/month and USD10 for a single person HH and this amount met 66% of the HH Kilocal needs of the 2,100 kcal/person/day on a basic diet of maize, pulses & vegetable oil. [38 pages] Read More...