Independent Evaluation of Oxfam GB Malawi’s Emergency Cash – Transfer Programme

Poor rainfall in Malawi in the 2004/2005 growing season resulted in significantly reduced cereal and non-cereal food production in the country, leaving up to 4 million people in need of assistance. In response, Oxfam planned a programme in southern Malawi, which included a ‘pilot’ cash-transfer project in Traditional Authority (TA) Kapichi, Thyolo District. The project was to support 4,000 households with monthly cash transfers to provide for their immediate food needs from November to March. After the first two months, coverage was increased to a total of 6,000 households.

This report provides an independent evaluation of the programme, including a review of the cash distribution system, targeting methodology, monitoring and evaluation, challenges and lessons learned, and effectiveness of the programme.