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
Cash for Latrines
Guidelines and Tools
This document provides guidance on how to use cash for latrines in camp settings. It highlights key lessons from different contexts and captures both cash specific recommendations and general guidance on latrine construction in one document.
Are there gendered impacts to multi-purpose cash transfers intended to build resilience?
Report
Brief from full report “The Gendered Dimension of Multi-Purpose Cash Supporting Disaster Resilience” extracting the specific gendered findings from a study on the impact of an EU funded project that used a “Cash Plus” approach, combining ten monthly multi-purpose cash (MPC) transfers with the...
Analysis of social and power dynamics of stakeholders for the implementation of multi-year MultiPurpose Cash Transfers in North Mali
Report
Six INGOs (Hunger Against Action, Danish Refugee Council, Handicap International, Oxfam, Solidarités International and International Rescue Committee) have been implementing a MultiPurpose Cash Transfers programme in Mali; the second phase of this social safety net intervention targets the communes the...
ESSN Programme Technical Analysis
Report
The Technical Analysis study has been conducted with the aim of referring the individuals in the ESSN Programme beneficiary pool to the livelihoods in terms of its scope and content. With the purpose of increasing beneficiaries’ economic and social resilience and self-sufficiency by reducing their...
The Gendered Dimension of Multi-Purpose Cash Supporting Disaster Resilience
Report
In 2017, in response to the mounting humanitarian crisis in Yemen, CARE Yemen and Action Contra la Faim (ACF) implemented a cash transfer program and community asset rehabilitation and skill building programing in the governorates of Abyan and Amran. This European Union (EU)-funded program integrated...
Minimum Expenditure Basket Harmonization Guidance
Guidelines and Tools
The present Minimum Expenditure (MEB) Guidance is an operational tool for the Refugee Response to inform humanitarian multi sector and/or multipurpose cash assistance to meet food needs and a broader set of essential needs of refugees in Uganda.
Addressing Food Crisis In Yemen: Executive Summary
Report
This report is a summary of findings from the full evaluation.
The evaluation looks at:
■ Performance against Development Assistance
Committee (DAC) Evaluation Criteria: relevance,
efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability
■ Insight on the internal and external factors influencing
the...
Feedback Channels in Cash and Voucher Assistance: How to Apply Best Practices to CVA
Guidelines and Tools
Accountability is at the core of effective humanitarian programming, and it is our duty to ensure that all programs – including those that use CVA to meet outcomes – are responsive to the clients we serve. While CVA is not inherently more risky than other forms of assistance, there are specific...
The Digital Lives of Refugees: How displaced populations use mobile phones and what gets in the way
Report
GSMA in partnership with UNHCR conducted quantitative surveys and qualitative research to understand the ways in which refugees are using mobile phones in order to help guide digital interventions by humanitarian organisations and mobile network operators. The research identifies key trends, statistics,...
Reflections and recommendations from evaluations of the 2017 CVA Somalia Drought Response
Report
Improving our response to drought to avert crises through the use of cash and voucher assistance requires us to build on experience. This paper pulls together reflections and recommendations from a review of eight evaluation reports, reviews and studies that were conducted during or after the 2017 drought...
Cash Assistance and the Prevention, Mitigation and Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
Report
The study Cash Assistance and the Prevention, Mitigation and Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) is based on comprehensive research in Lebanon, Ecuador and Morocco. It provides learning and recommendations when using cash assistance in the prevention, mitigation and response to SGBV. The...
Global Cash Policy Network Call: the UN Common Cash System
Report
On 5 December, Principals of UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP and OCHA announced the launch of a joint system for the design, delivery and monitoring of cash assistance. This is a welcome step towards improved collaboration between United Nations agencies, with the potential to increase the effectiveness, efficiency...
Cash for Shelter in Kenya – A Field Experience
Report
A study of a cash for shelter project in Kalobeyei that highlights how UNHCR uses cash assistance to help the refugees to transition to more durable solutions, in this case, integration with the host community. The project presents a paradigm shift from the traditional refugee camp planning process.
It’s humanitarian planning season! Ten tips for strengthening the inclusion of cash assistance as part of the HRP process
Blog Post
It’s November and humanitarian planning season is in full swing. To its advocates, the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) process is a critical opportunity to collectively allocate resources and capacities to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs in a given context....
How Cash and Food Transfers and Asset Creation Can Contribute to Women’s Empowerment: Learning from Niger, Kenya and Zimbabwe
Report
From ‘Collected Papers on Gender and Cash Transfer Programmes in Humanitarian Contexts’. Existing gender inequalities mean that disasters and conflicts impact women, men, girls and boys differently. Cash based assistance is one of the most significant developments in humanitarian assistance in recent...
Evaluation of the 2017 Somalia Humanitarian Cash-Based Response
Report
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...
An Assessment of ChildFund’s Emergency Cash Transfer Project in The Gambia
Report
Review of ChildFund’s pilot cash transfer intervention using mobile money, assisting people displaced by political crisis. Includes description of project design, results, assessment, and recommendations for future cash-based interventions. Project participants appreciated the cash which they used to...
Moving Forward with Cash in Haiti: A Review of Cash-Based Interventions during Hurricane Matthew Response in Haiti
Case Study
Mercy Corps, with funding from European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has conducted an extensive review of lessons learned and contextual data, combined with key informant interviews and workshops to compile, analyse and present core lessons from the Hurricane Matthew cash-based...
The Grand Bargain Cash Meetings: what did we learn, how are we doing, where next?
Blog Post
After cash focal points from Grand Bargain signatory organisations gathered in Rome for the second annual meeting of the Grand Bargain cash workstream, we ask how much progress has been made towards commitments, and what remains to be done.
Multi purpose cash and sectoral outcomes – Afghanistan case study
Report
The repatriation cash grant has helped Afghan returnees from Pakistan to meet a number of basic needs upon return. The cash grant is used for transportation costs, to buy food and address important shelter needs, thus contributing to aspects of reintegration. At the same time, poor security of tenure and...