Monitoring and Evaluation
Most M&E challenges, such as a lack of sufficient investment and capacities, are not specific to CVA. But those that are relate primarily to monitoring outcomes for unrestricted transfers. The flexibility of cash transfers can make it difficult to determine appropriate outcome indicators, as they may involve a combination of sector-specific and cross-cutting indicators. At the same time, there are limitations on gathering accurate data on how cash transfers are spent.
Grand Bargain signatories have committed to ensuring relevant M&E mechanisms are in place for cash, and increasing understanding of the costs, benefits, impacts and risks of cash relative to other modalities. Building on this, the GB cash workstream has action points including the development of common outcome indicators for multipurpose cash, and metrics for analysing value for money. Systematic value for money analysis has been limited by factors including a lack of agreed upon approaches, the need for quality outcome data, and the intensive nature of the analysis.
Current priorities
As part of the Grand Bargain cash commitments, the CALP Network has co-led (with USAID and CRS) the development of Multipurpose Cash Outcome Indicators. The draft for testing is currently available in English, French and Spanish via the library.
Related initiatives
Featured content
Multipurpose Cash Outcome Indicators – Final Draft for Testing
Guidelines and Tools
Note that the MPC indicators have now been revised. Please click here to access the updated Multipurpose Outcome Indicators and Guidance, which is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish. Multipurpose Cash Outcome Indicators – Final Draft for Testing Multipurpose cash (MPC) is a type of assistance intended to enable people to meet their basic needs through local...
Monitoring 4 CTP: Monitoring Guidance for CTP in Emergencies
Guidelines and Tools
This guidance provides a central resource to promote a common understanding of the most important monitoring considerations for humanitarian projects using cash transfer programming (CTP). The primary audience for this guidance is field-level practitioners, from organisations directly involved in the design, implementation, monitoring, and accountability of projects using cash and vouchers...
Cost-Efficiency Analysis of Basic Needs Programs: Best Practice Guidance for Humanitarian Agencies
Guidelines and Tools
The Efficiency, Effectiveness and Value for Money Sub-Workstream is pleased to share the final output on Cost-Efficiency Analysis of Basic Needs Programs: Best Practice Guidance for Humanitarian Agencies (attached).
Cost-efficiency analysis estimates the ratio of program costs to outputs created, allowing you to compare cost-per-output for programs which all produced the same output. Such...
Thematic lead
Latest
WVI Cash Roadmap 2.0 – New Avenues – Leveraging, multiplying “Nexus” cash to take children and their families further than imagined
Policy paper
WVI's strategic global Cash Roadmap 2.0 (2024-2027) speaks to the organisations' commitment that amidst polycrises and resourcing constraints, there is urgency to maximise and multiply World Vision's capabilities, assets and cash voucher programming (CVP=CVA) is a powerful tool to do so.
Increasing...
Using Cash and Voucher Assistance to improve Menstrual Health and Hygiene in Bangladesh
Case Study
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners are implementing a Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH) project for women and girls in two urban slums of Dhaka using Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). The project has a dual objective of responding to period poverty in Bangladesh – the struggle...
CWG Learning Workshop: Report – Consolidate Knowledge
Report
On June 8th, the United Nations hosted a Learning Workshop on cash-based programmes in Sri Lanka. Led by the Cash Working Group (CWG) and supported by the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator (RCO), the workshop served as a platform for consolidating knowledge for cash-based interventions amid the...
Increasing the Use of Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance: Opportunities, Barriers and Dilemmas
Report
Through in-depth analysis of the latest data and careful modelling this study maps the current scale of CVA, and unpacks the opportunities and challenges involved towards it fully reaching its potential.
People-focused, effective aid: The urgent need to accelerate progress on cash and voucher assistance for people in crisis
Policy paper
Setting out a clear case for action, this Policy Brief outlines the latest evidence and information around how CVA is being used, and if it is meeting its potential to support people in crisis. It urges us to define and commit to a new collective vision for the development of CVA.
Doing Cash in a context of economic volatility: What to do and what to keep in mind
Guidelines and Tools
This interim WFP guidance was issued in 2022 to provide support to cash operations in contexts of economic volatility, be it when there is inflation, depreciation or currency volatility, parallel exchange rates, liquidity issues and changes in financial regulation, among others.
Listening is not enough: People demand transformational change in humanitarian assistance
Report
“Our accountability to [affected people] is paramount and must be acted upon. It is non-negotiable, at all times.” This pledge reiterates prior commitments to accountability to affected people (AAP), such as those made in the Grand Bargain and the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Humanity. In light of...
Independent evaluation of CAMEALEON
Report
CAMEALEON is an independent initiative to provide monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning support to the World Food Programme (WFP)’s multi-purpose cash (MPC) programme for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Established in 2017, CAMEALEON’s main purpose is to bridge evidence gaps, strengthen...
Value for Money Analysis of VenEsperanza
Case Study
The VenEsperanza consortium in Colombia participated in a Value for Money analysis that evaluated financial transactions during the first years of operation of the consortium. The analysis focuses on efficiency, effectiveness and equity of the work of the consortium.
Learnings from Cash Grant Support to Small and Medium Food Shops in Northwest Syria
Report
The majority of vendors working within GOAL’s areas of operation survive on slim margins and are highly susceptible to market and currency instability, often resulting in an inability to restock on time due to a lack of financial capital. Vendors are often confronted with other issues such as the lack...
Delivering Better Together: Standard Operating Procedures for Oxfam’s Approach to Cash and Voucher Assistance
Guidelines and Tools
Delivering Better Together: SOPs for Oxfam’s Approach to Cash and Voucher Assistance is a digital guide to all things cash and vouchers in Oxfam that can be downloaded to and accessed from a phone, tablet, or any other device. The SOPs focus on the basics of cash and vouchers, the use of it for...
UNHCR Reflections on the Ukraine Effect for the MENA Regional Task Force
Presentation
A presentation shared by UNHCR colleagues on their reflections on managing CVA in contexts of high inflation.
Global Cash Working Group Meeting – 29 March 2022
Presentation
This slide deck includes presentation materials from the GCWG meeting on 29 March 2022. Presentations include an overview of the cash coordination caucus outcomes by NRC and an update on research by Ground Truth Solutions.
DG ECHO Thematic Policy Document on Cash Transfers
Policy paper
DG ECHO released its Thematic Policy document on Cash Transfers in March 2022. The document provides guidance primarily to DG ECHO’s partners and staff, but also to the wider cash community with the objective of collectively enhancing the quality and efficiency of cash programmes and of humanitarian...
Economic Resilience “On-the-Move” – New Tools to leverage local markets for basic needs through conflict-sensitive approaches
Guidelines and Tools
See the publication here A special look at Cash and Local Markets for Social Cohesion Local market actors affected by (natural) disasters, pandemic lockdowns with movement restrictions and income loss – generally in Fragile Contexts – play a critical role in contributing towards communities’ basic...
Humanitarian Assistance and Fertility Decisions: At what extent Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) targeting criteria had influenced the fertility rates and fertility calendar of Syrian refugees in Turkey
Report
Turkey, as the country with the highest number of refugees, is currently a home to 3.7 million Syrians who had to flee from their country due to the conflict started in 2011. Since December 2016, refugees from all nationalities in Turkey can apply for the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), the largest...
East and Southern Africa Regional Cash Working Group Leads and Co-Leads Workshop Report
Report
Cash Working Group Leads and Co-Leads from different countries in East and Southern Africa came together to exchange learning, share experiences and discuss global and regional trends in cash and voucher assistance. The topics covered which are available in this report were; Minimum Expenditure Baskets...
Iraq MPCA Vulnerability Model Review 2021: Technical Report
Guidelines and Tools
A new socio-economic vulnerability assessment tool (SEVAT) used to target vulnerable IDP, returnee, and host community households eligible for multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) in Iraq was developed in 2021. Actors delivering MPCA in Iraq have used a harmonised tool to identify households since 2016...
Meeting Needs Index – guidance note
Guidelines and Tools
The Meeting Needs Index, or MNI, is a proxy measure of household welfare, providing a single-figure composite indication of how able a household is to meet multiple basic needs. It was first developed and utilized by Mercy Corps in the Gaza Strip, then at larger scale by the Gaza Protection Consortium, as...
Toolkit for Engaging Adolescents in Child Protection and CVA Monitoring and Evaluation – Tool 2 Activity for Mapping CVA Risks and Protective Factors with Adolescents
Guidelines and Tools
This tool describes an activity for mapping cash and voucher
assistance associated risks and protective factors with adolescents.
It must be used along with the other tools in the “Toolkit for Engaging
Adolescents in Child Protection and Cash and Voucher Assistance
Monitoring and Evaluation”. In...
