| Indicator ID | BS6 |
|---|---|
| Indicator full statement | % of persons receiving cash or in-kind assistance who report being able to meet specific basic needs, by category provided by Tdh. |
Purpose
This outcome indicator assesses the effectiveness of the cash or in-kind aid provided by Tdh to meet the specific basic needs of beneficiaries during the target period. It also evaluates how the aid helps beneficiaries address acute issues, potentially reducing the need for negative coping strategies that could further jeopardize their dignity, well-being, and livelihoods.
Definition
Basic needs: the concept of basic needs refers to the essential goods, utilities, services, and/or resources required on a regular or seasonal basis by households to ensure their long-term survival and minimum living standards, without resorting to negative coping mechanisms or compromising their health, dignity, and essential livelihood assets. Assistance to address basic needs can be delivered through a range of modalities (including cash transfers, vouchers, in-kind and services), and might include both multipurpose cash assistance (MPC) and sector specific interventions.
Cash assistance: conditional or unconditional assistance provided in the form of money to recipients (individuals, households or communities). Cash transfers are inherently unrestricted, which means recipients can choose how to use the assistance. As such, cash is distinct from restricted modalities including vouchers and in-kind assistance.
In-kind assistance (NFI): Essential goods distributed to individuals and/or families affected by emergencies and crises, such as clothing, blankets, kitchen utensils, hygiene kits, shelter materials, and other household supplies.
For more definition on cash and vouchers assistance terms, you can refer to the CalP glossary.
How to collect & analyse the data
| What do we count? | We count people having been able to meet their basic needs during a certain period thanks to cash or NFI delivery. |
|---|---|
| How to calculate the indicator's value | Nominator: number of respondents to the PDM stating that they were able to cover their basic needs during a given period (for instance hygiene consumables such as soap are usually distributed for 1 month or 3 months) thanks to Tdh intervention = respondents who scored 3 or more in at least 2 of the 5 priority categories identified in the RNA will be taken into consideration here. Denominator: number of households interviewed (representative sample). |
| Data sources | Beneficiary list (encrypted, secured). RNA (Rapid Need Assessment data). Priority needs are identified before the start of the project during the RNA. The same priority needs will be checked during the PDM to see whether they have been adequately covered from the point of view of the beneficiaries. PDM (Post Distribution Monitoring data): Process for evaluating how well cash or in-kind assistance meets its objectives after a distribution. It involves collecting data and feedback form beneficiaries to assess the appropriateness, effectiveness of the aid provided and beneficiaries satisfaction. |
| Data collection methods and tools | Individual interviews using open and closed questions, with a representative sample of targeted beneficiary households (post-distribution monitoring) that have received assistance in cash or in kind (NFI). During this interview, the households assess their ability to meet the basic needs of their households, by category as identified prior to the intervention (RNA). 1st step: identify the 3 top priority needs of households during the initial needs assessment (e.g: food, shelter, WASH, household NFI, health, etc.) in consultation with target groups (household surveys, focus-group discussion...) 2nd step: through a post-distribution monitoring (PDM) carried out on a representative sample of households reached by cash or in-kind assistance provided by Tdh, identify the extent to which the household is or has been able to meet its basic needs as initially prioritised. For each category of need, use a scale of appreciation from 1 to 5, with 1 being "need absolutely not covered" and 5 being "need totally covered". |
| Example of survey questions | See examples of PDM available on Tdh FSL knowledge centre. |
| Disaggregation |
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Limitations and precautions
It might be problematic to get only the perspective of the heads of household. In addition, surveys that are limited to close-ended questions and are highly structured may hamper us to understand whether needs have been actually covered and not, and why. Therefore it is advisable to supplement the household PDM with focus group discussions or make sure that open ended questions are introduced in surveys.
Before randomly selecting households from the list of beneficiaries, the sample size must be determined. For the purposes of a PDM a confidence level of 90% with confidence intervals of +/- 10% is generally accepted. The simplest way to calculate the sample size is to use automatic sample size calculators (see additional guidance below).
Mind ethical considerations: deploying long structured questionnaires might cause fatigue, bias, and might be understood as intrusive and judgemental. Cash amount or in-kind assistance delivered might represent a very limited contribution to the household – although always welcome. Make sure that your data collection tool represents a limited effort and time for the people and is proportionate with level of service provided, especially if you cash/NFI support is a one-shot even. It might be better to ask 5 open questions to which people will feel free to provide true answer with a rating system established based on a rigorous thematic analysis versus 10 pages questionnaires asking about every detail of the cash /NFI use.
ALWAYS adapt, contextualize any standardized tool, even if agreed upon by the Cash WG. Never apply mechanically a data collection tool produced previously.
What further analysis are we interested in?
In addition to this outcome indicator, it would be valuable to assess the estimated coverage rate, broken down by the basic needs that were initially identified as priorities.
Additional guidance
Sample size calculator: https://www.indikit.net/methodology-calculator
Some examples of PDM are available on Tdh FSL knowledge centre.
See also : IFRC cash in emergency toolkit