Skip to main content

Cash 101: Cash and Voucher Assistance Explained

We are sorry but the page you are looking for is not available in the language you have selected, please go to the corresponding homepage
  1. Home
  2. Themes

Monitoring and Evaluation

The flexible and multisectoral nature of cash presents unique challenges when it comes to monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of humanitarian responses. Agreeing and using common indicators will help to ensure we are working together to improve the quality of cash and voucher assistance (CVA).

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.

Latest

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...

25 January 2022

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...

17 November 2021

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...

4 November 2021

UN Common Cash Statement Progress Report – September 2021

Report

This report outlines key progress and challenges under the UN Common Cash Statement (UNCCS) and the vision and priorities ahead. It builds on more than two years of implementation, the UNCCS Q&A and a number
of surveys and lessons learned workshops conducted with countries in 2021. While the focus has...

September 2021

Gender Analysis of Livelihoods Programming and Individual, Household and Community Dynamics in Iraq

Report

Women throughout the world are constrained in their economic activities, and face major challenges trying to pursue better paid and more productive jobs, including in Iraq. Iraq is in a time of change after ISIS and in light of the pandemic. Though economic upheaval brings hardship, it also can open doors...

30 August 2021

Disability Inclusive Cash Assistance: Learnings from Practice in Humanitarian Response

Guidelines and Tools

This case study collection describes lessons learned from seven inclusive humanitarian cash transfer projects implemented from 2015 – 2020 in Niger, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Indonesia, and five ongoing projects from the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic responses. This good practice...

19 August 2021

SPACE Deciding when and how to link humanitarian assistance and social protection: guidance and tools for response analysis

Policy paper

This short paper presents two complementary ‘Tools’ to guide thinking and decisionmaking on humanitarian programme design, providing the basis for conducting a comprehensive response analysis to inform decisions on linking HA-SP. These can be used to determine the likely feasibility and...

30 June 2021

SPACE Key considerations for monitoring shock-responsive social assistance: A guiding framework

Policy paper

This Brief presents a guiding framework with key questions and key issues to consider when monitoring Shock-responsive social protection (SRSP) to understand how the intervention contributes to broader crisis response. It’s a guiding framework that includes the key domains of coverage and effectiveness,...

30 June 2021

Money Matters: A toolkit for caseworkers to support adult and adolescent clients with basic money management

Guidelines and Tools

This tool is for use when child protection case management clients receive cash and voucher assistance as part of their child protection case management response. This tool sets out guidance for caseworkers that have previously had case management training. It will help caseworkers to support their...

9 April 2021

User journeys of Syrian refugees receiving multi-purpose cash from WFP in Lebanon

Report

Ground Truth Solutions, in collaboration with the Cash Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Organizational Network (CAMEALEON) have produced a report detailing the lived experiences or “user journeys” of Syrian refugees in Lebanon receiving multipurpose cash assistance from the World...

1 April 2021

Supporting Food Security Among Vulnerable Households in the Gaza Strip

Report

This final evaluation report draws on the results of several monitoring and evaluation activities, including two midterm focus group discussions (FGDs), two endline FGDs, three (one every two distribution cycles) rounds of post-distribution monitoring (PDMs), and one baseline survey performed as part of...

31 March 2021

Toolkit for Monitoring and Evaluating Child Protection When Using Cash and Voucher Assistance

Guidelines and Tools

The Toolkit for Monitoring and Evaluating Child Protection when using Cash and Voucher Assistance (CP and CVA M&E Toolkit) is a resource for actors working in Monitoring and Evaluation, CVA (across sectors), and child protection. It aims to assess, address and monitor 1) Direct and indirect impact on...

26 March 2021

CASH ON THE MOVE – Adapting Multi-Purpose Cash ‘Plus’ Assistance to support people on the move in Peru

Report

In 2019 and 2020, with the support of USAID´s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (formerly FFP and OFDA), Save the Children implemented
a multi-purpose cash ‘Plus’ program in response to the influx of Venezuelan migrants into Peru. Households that were only transiting through the cities where they...

8 January 2021

WVI Cash and Voucher Programming Indicator Compendium

Guidelines and Tools

This indicator compendium was designed to support World Vision field offices to design and monitor quality cash and voucher programmes. Specifically, the compendium will enable colleagues responsible for designing, implementing and monitoring cash and voucher programming to select appropriate indicators...

1 January 2021

Cash 101: Cash and Voucher Assistance Explained

Explore the Cash 101