6.3.1 Monitoring multi-purpose cash assistance

Multipurpose cash assistance (MPCA) is a type of assistance intended to enable people to meet their basic needs through local markets as they see fit. The extent to which a given MPCA intervention can effectively address intended needs will be determined in part by the transfer value, frequency and duration. This should be considered when analysing data collected for the outcome indicators, both within and between interventions.²³

These indicators aim to recognize that MPCA is one component of a larger overall response, and additional interventions (e.g. systems-level interventions, in-kind support, service provision, technical assistance) are required to completely meet Sphere standards.

Example of indicators for MPCA:

• % of households who report being able to meet their basic needs (all/most/some/none), according to their priorities (Outcome indicator).
• % of households by Livelihoods Coping Strategies (LCS) phase (Neutral, Stress, Crisis, Emergency) (Outcome indicator).
• % of beneficiaries reporting that humanitarian assistance is delivered in a safe, accessible, accountable and participatory manner (Process indicator for quality, accountability to affected populations and protection mainstreaming).

6.3.2 Monitoring sector-specific outcomes

For sector-specific outcomes, the following list suggests indicators to measure the impact of CBI on beneficiaries. This list is not complete; the list of indicators to measure should be in line with the programme/project objectives.

Example of indicators for different sectors:

Food security

• % of households by Food Consumption Score (FCS) phase (Poor, Borderline and Acceptable).
• Reduced Coping Strategy Index (rCSI) note: FCS should be used for essentially all MPCA programmes; rCSI is recommended as an additional indicator for longer-term MPCA (longer than 6 months).

Protection

• % of individuals receiving cash transfers for whom cash assistance reduced an identified protection risk.

Shelter

• % of households whose shelter solutions meet agreed technical and performance standards.
• % of target population living in safe and dignified shelters.

Non-food items

• % of households reporting adequate access to household non-food items.

WASH

• % of households having access to an improved water source due to provision of CBI for water supply and treatment
• % of households who have access to functioning sanitation facilities due to provision of CBI for sanitation.
• % of households where women/girls of menstruating age have access to appropriate menstrual hygiene management materials due to provision of CBI for hygiene.
• % of households who have access to appropriate hygiene items due to provision of CBI for purchase of hygiene items.

Expenditure indicators

In some cases, you may want to track expenditures. All expenditure-based indicators should enquire about overall household expenditures (not the use of the MPCA). Rather than measuring exact amounts, you may ask beneficiaries about their three to five most important expenditure categories. If a quantitative approach or sectoral measurement is desired, the following indicators may be collected at the household level. It is recommended to collect expenditures on all categories of relevance to the population. If data collection allows, item-level expenditures may be collected. Dividing household-level data by the number of members in the household will yield per-capita expenditure figures, which is needed for meaningful analysis.

To measure and monitor household priorities and economic capacity to meet basic needs:

• Total monthly expenditures (currency amount per capita).
• Distribution of monthly per capita expenditures by categories/sector (percentage of expenditures spent on food, shelter, water, NFIs, etc.).
• Total monthly expenditures relative to the Minimum Expenditure Basket (%).
• Economic Capacity to Meet Essential Needs (ECMEN) (binary indicator for whether a household’s total expenditures can cover the Minimum Expenditure Basket).
• Expenditure amounts by categories/sector relative to the corresponding amounts in the MEB (percentage of expenditures on food out of the food amount in the MEB, expenditures on shelter out of the shelter amount in the MEB, etc.).

Grand Bargain MPCA and sector indicators
 

²³ For more information on result formulations and indicators, please see Chapter 3 of the 2021 IOM M&E Guidelines.