Multipurpose Cash Assistance
Multipurpose Cash (MPC) are unrestricted cash transfers that people affected by crises can use to cover their basic needs. By its nature, MPC is the assistance modality which offers people a maximum degree of choice, flexibility and dignity. There is also growing evidence that it is more cost-efficient and cost-effective to meet multiple needs.
But this requires new ways of collaborating between humanitarian actors, at all stages of the program cycle, and across sectors. While solid tools exist to support collaboration, they have not been widely adopted and MPC is still used in an ad-hoc way. Challenges remain to be addressed if we are to successfully fit MPC into the humanitarian system.
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Multipurpose cash outcome indicators and guidance
Guidelines and Tools
The indicators in this document, developed by the Grand Bargain Cash Workstream, focus on the primary objectives of humanitarian Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPC), and the outcomes to which MPC can most strongly contribute in a given context.
Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) Decision Making Tools
Guidelines and Tools
Update: This publication was revised in 2022. Please read the revised publication here.
The purpose of this tipsheet is to accompany practitioners and decision makers through key stages in the process of calculating an MEB to: (a)
identify what is the most appropriate path to take in relation to their
particular context, identified objective, existing capacities and available
resources; and...
Operational Guidance and Toolkit for Multipurpose Cash Grants
Guidelines and Tools
This operational guidance and toolkit brings together worldwide expertise on cash-based interventions (CBIs). It provides comprehensive and practical guidance for humanitarian actors to assess the feasibility, conceptualise the design and structure the implementation of MPGs. The guidance focuses on MPGs whose primary objective is to meet basic needs as defined by affected people...
Definition of Minimum Expenditure Baskets (MEB) in West Africa
Report
Throughout 2017, five countries in West Africa have worked collectively to define minimum expenditure baskets, in order to better capture the contribution that humanitarian assistance is making to address the basic needs of affected populations, and improve the impact of assistance. This heavy process raises technical and coordination challenges. The CALP Network, with support from USAID /...
Thematic lead
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CVA for Protection: A Mapping of IRC’s Use of Cash and Voucher Assistance to Help Achieve Protection Outcomes
Guidelines and Tools
The IRC first began to integrate cash into protection programs in 2013, leveraging the flexibility of CVA to support clients living in urban refugee contexts in the Middle East. Since then, IRC has rapidly expanded its use of CVA to help achieve protection outcomes. This scale-up has come with important...
Cash for Work (CFW) Guidance Note
Guidelines and Tools
Cash for Work interventions provide employment to unskilled and semi-skilled workers on labour intensive projects such as rehabilitation of irrigation systems, soil conservation, and road construction and maintenance.
Healing and Enabling- Stories from Typhoon Mangkhut Response
Report
The response to Typhoon Mangkhut is one of Christian Aid’s purely cash-based response that incorporate a community-led approach in its design and execution. Undertaken with our NGO and community partners, it has been in keeping with Christian Aid’s development principle of working with, and through...
Words Matter: A brief overview of the cash terminology debate
Blog Post
In this guest blog, Oxfam GB's cash adviser Steph Roberson looks back on #CashWeek2018 and how the key debates over terminology have fed into the revision of the CALP Network Glossary.
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.
Protecting Nutrition of Pregnant and Lactating Women and Children in Acute Food Crises
Report
This briefing sheet provides an overview of methods and findings from a study examing the impact of cash and voucher assistance on prevention of acute malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women and children in the context of the 2017/18 Somalia food crisis. Changes in diet and acute malnutrition were...
Ecuador CCD Multi-Sectorial Needs Assessment
Report
Ecuador CCD Multi-Sectorial Needs Assessment Key Findings and Advocacy Messages High food insecurity amongst Venezuelan population: 50% had experience moderate to severe hunger in the past months. 23% of PLW had experienced sever hunger. Important proportion of Venezuelans living in public spaces,...
Basic Needs Assessment Guidance and Toolbox Part 1: Background and Concepts
Guidelines and Tools
This document covers humanitarian aid activities implemented with the financial assistance of the European Union. The view expressed herein should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of the European Union and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of...
Multi-Purpose Cash Grant – A collaborative model for North-East Nigeria
Report
In recent years, there is an increasing commitment from donors and humanitarian actors to use cash transfers as a response modality where appropriate to meet multiple needs of the affected population in rapid onset and protracted emergencies. There is growing evidence that cash transfers give people...
Mobile Cash Transfer for Pilot for PSNP clients, in Ethiopia
Report
The study aimed to understand mobile cash transfer effectiveness and satisfaction level of PSNP clients during the three rounds (January to March) e-payment in 2018 in Amhara Region, Ethiopia, East Africa.
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...
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...
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...
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.
“Min Ila” cash transfer program for displaced Syrian children in Lebanon
Report
“Min Ila” is a cash transfer program that was implemented by UNICEF and the United Nation’s World Food Program (WFP) in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE), between 2016 and 2018 covering two (and later three) Lebanese governorates. The program, also known as...
Standard Operating Procedures for Multi-Purpose Cash (MPC) grants
Guidelines and Tools
These Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) outline the systems, roles and responsibilities, and critical actions for implementing [insert agency]’s Multi-Purpose Cash (MPC) programming on behalf of vulnerable [insert population(s)/groups] in [insert country/region/location].
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...
ERC Learning Event: Scaling up our tools and approaches for multi-purpose cash grants
Blog Post
Watch the videos and read the recommendations from the ERC MPG Consortium event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Read our brand new Policy Roundup here
Blog Post
This update was circulated to our policy contacts on 17 April 2018. If you would like to receive these updates via email, please contact stholstrup@cashlearning.org.
Multipurpose Cash Grants (ERC consortium) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Guidelines and Tools
The purpose of this document is to provide a road map of the essential components when assessing, designing, implementing and monitoring multipurpose cash grant (MPG) programmes. The Assessment and Response Option Analysis and Planning (ROAP) phases encompass the Basic Needs Approach as the key starting...