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Cash 101: Cash and Voucher Assistance Explained

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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

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

Perception survey of aid recipients in Somalia

Report

Before the first case of COVID-19 was officially confirmed on 16 March 2020, Somalia was in a state of emergency resulting from the worst locust infestation in 25 years. With food supplies already under threat, the infestation was exacerbated by heavy floods, which not only displaced half a million...

15 December 2020

The Bahamas, Rental Assistance, Post Distribution Monitoring Report 2020

Report

This Post Distribution (PDM) Report presents the findings of the Rental Assistance programme in Grand Bahama implemented by The Bahamas Red Cross Society (BRCS) with support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). The programme sought initially to provide a...

9 December 2020

Livelihood Transition of the ESSN | Capacity Mapping and Understanding the Potential

Report

The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme is reaching more than 1.7 million refugees with monthly cash assistance to help them cover their basic needs and providing them with freedom of choice while promoting dignity. On the other hand, the project aims to increase affected people’s economic and...

23 September 2020

CVA: Your Role as a GBV Coordinator (UNFPA / GBV AoR)

Guidelines and Tools

UNFPA’s Humanitarian Office and the GBV Area of Responsibility have developed this guidance on “CVA – Your Role as a GBV Coordinator,” for GBV coordination group leads and partners in humanitarian settings. Its purpose is to outline the practical ways in which GBV Coordinators should support GBV-...

14 September 2020

Gaza Multi-Purpose Cash Programme: Endline Evaluation

Report

This report presents the key findings of the pilot Gaza Multi-Purpose Cash Program (GMPC) implemented by Mercy Corps Palestine in the Gaza Strip during 2019-20. The aim of the programme was to allow 1,227 poor and food insecure households to meet their varied basic needs, by delivering three cash...

10 September 2020

The Provision of Cash and Voucher Assistance in the Response to the Venezuela Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Findings and lessons learned – Main report

Report

This study, for which data was compiled between March and April 2020, seeks to document lessons and good practices in the delivery of CVA in Ecuador and Colombia by humanitarian organisations and governments, in response to migrants and refugees from Venezuela. The purpose of this analysis is...

4 September 2020

The Provision of Cash and Voucher Assistance in the Response to the Venezuela Refugee and Migrant Crisis: Findings and lessons learned, Executive summary

Report

This study, for which data was compiled between March and April 2020, seeks to document lessons and good practices in the delivery of CVA in Ecuador and Colombia by humanitarian organisations and governments, in response to migrants and refugees from Venezuela. The purpose of this analysis is...

23 July 2020

Presentation for the CALP Network’s webinar on remote registration and verification in the COVID-19 response

Presentation

Watch the webinar recording here Speaker presentations from the CALP Network’s 14 July 2020 webinar on: Peril or pitfalls?: Emerging practices on remote registration and verification in the COVID-19 response Remote CVA programming has been highlighted as a key challenge for the community of practice in...

16 July 2020

CVA in COVID-19 Contexts: Guidance from the CALP Network

Guidelines and Tools

This is a summary of the key points from the many resources you shared on CVA and COVID through this document. This is a living document and we will continue to update this summary as new resources are added. The below is intended to help organisations understand and prepare for likely impacts of COVID-19...

9 July 2020

Collaborative Cash Delivery Network – Grand Bargain – Collaboration Agreement Accomplishments 2020

Report

The Collaborative Cash Delivery (CCD) Network is pleased to present its achievements against the commitments made by our global members’ CEOs at the 2019 Grand Bargain Summit as part of our global collaboration agreement. We know we are better together, and in this time of increasing pressure on the...

24 June 2020

CVA & COVID-19: Remote Market Assessment and Monitoring

Blog Post

As field practitioners adapt their programmes to COVID-19, colleagues across our membership and Cash Working Groups are identifying multiple challenges. The CALP Network is working with others to develop a series of short, field-focused recommendations for such practitioners. The purpose of this series is...

22 June 2020

Examples and Good Practices on the Use of Multi-Purpose Cash in the Food Security Sector

Guidelines and Tools

This global Food Security Cluster (gFSC) document was produced by the Cash and Markets Working Group (CMWG) to highlight the role and engagement of food security actors through different country experiences and good practices.
In recent years, multi-purpose cash (MPC) has been adopted more widely to...

1 June 2020

Multi-purpose Cash Assistance in Lebanon – Impact evaluation on the well-being of Syrian refugees

Report

The two year study assessed the impact of MPC on the well-being of over 11,000 Syrian refugee households living in the Bekaa, North and Mount Lebanon. The study finds that most of the impact of MPC materializes in the long term (over 12 months), while limited impact materializes in the short term. The...

7 May 2020

Webinar | Multi-purpose Cash Transfer and Child Protection: a case study (English and Spanish editions)

Webinar recording

Watch the webinar recording here. More information here. In 2018, with the support of OFDA and FFP, Save the Children implemented a multi-purpose cash transfer ‘Plus’ program in response to the influx of Venezuelan into Colombia. The program aimed at covering vulnerable household’s basic needs and...

4 May 2020

Cash 101: Cash and Voucher Assistance Explained

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