1. Cash and Voucher Program Guidance and Standards
Informal Cash & Voucher Working Group
TC Winston Response

2. Program Types (in use in TC Winston)
Cash for Work (multiple clusters)
Cash for Food (includes food vouchers)
Cash for Shelter* (includes vouchers and catalogues)
* Note: Cash for Shelter guidance is currently being revised to align with the Fijian Government’s Help for Homes initiative. The revised guidance will be added once complete

3. Cash for Work – General Guidance
Cash for work programs are used across a number of clusters. Sector- specific programs will have a specific work focus and objectives, however general guidance and standards can be applied to all cash for work programs.
Objectives: Cash-for-work and emergency employment are designed as short-term activities designed to give communities access to cash income while encouraging participation in community rehabilitation efforts.
Activities should not replace traditional systems of social support and community rehabilitation.
Cash for Work activities will involve men and women. Consultation should always include women and men, and cover risks, appropriateness and accessibility of Cash for Work interventions.

4. Cash For Work: Minimum Guidelines
Category
Guidance
Detailed Recommendations
Wages and Payments
$20 FJD/day
$10 FJD/half-day
Note that these are not wage rates but cash allowances paid for cash-for-work activities. All partners are recommended to adhere to these rates. Rates are based on in-country experience from ILO and UNDP.
Minimum wage rate: $2.32 FJD per hour
This is a reference only. Recommendation is to use to above cash allowance rates. Basic guidance from CFW in Fiji and the Pacific region is to use a cash allowance slightly above the minimum wage rate.
Timeframe
Not more than 1 month per worker
Cash for work activities are intended as a short-term intervention.
Working Hours
Maximum working hours: 8 hours
Typically, and based on the task required, CFW activities range from 4-8 hours. Partners should not exceed 8 hours/day for any individual worker and break times should be included.
Community Consultation
Consultation with community must take place and endorsement sought for CFW activities prior to program initiation
Other modalities should be considered and discussed as options
While cash for work has been successfully implemented in Fiji, some communities and local governments have expressed a clear preference not to use CFW modality as it may disrupt existing community mechanisms.
Alternative support options should be considered and may include providing equipment and training to community volunteers.
Coordination
Local government duly informed when planning
Recommended to include local government officials in areas selected, activity selection and beneficiary selection
Safety Regulations
Safety briefings or training are recommended before beginning all CFW activities. Adequate headwear, footwear and first aid kits are strongly recommended
Partners are required to ensure that safety guidelines are in place and safety procedures communicated to all workers prior to starting activities. If safety gear is not available it should be provided by the implementing agency.
Ethical Requirements
All organisations and workers must comply with the Code of Conduct endorsed by the Fijian Government and general high standards of behaviour
Information about Code of Conduct, and requirement to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse, should be reinforced.

5. Cash For Work: Minimum Guidelines
Category
Guidance
Detailed Recommendations
Gender Equality
Understand the differing risks for men and women, and mitigate them as appropriate.
Actively promote gender equality and women’s empowerment though inclusion in CFW programs
Participation rates for women and men should be actively monitored, and investigated further where unequal participation is noted
All CFW interventions should aim to assess any risks to women’s, men’s and children’s safety and protection. Women, including female youth, should be given equal opportunities to access CFW interventions.
Evidence shows women face increased workloads post-TC Winston and may have less time to engage in CFW. Community consultation and program design should specifically address these issues and identify appropriate options for women’s participation.
When possible, ensure there are supervised child care arrangements in place to facilitate easier ability for caregivers to work.
Inclusion
Light activity or administrative tasks should be planned to accommodate the needs of vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons.
Partners should consider, plan and integrate these types of activities during the planning phase. Inclusion of all community members, especially the most vulnerable, is recommended to maximize impact.
Where appropriate activities cannot be identified, consideration should be given to unconditional cash assistance for vulnerable community members.
Worker age requirements
Minimum age for CFW programs: 18 years
Though the minimum age for work in Fiji is 16 years, humanitarian CFW programs should not engage children (under 18 years)
Child Headed Households
Where child-headed households exist, alternative cash support options should be considered, in conjunction with additional assistance and referral to child protection mechanisms
Child-headed households are not common in Fiji and are considered unlikely to be encountered in areas where CFW programs operate. Where child-headed households are found, they should not be excluded from cash assistance programs, however CFW is not recommended.
Consideration should be given to providing unconditional cash assistance with ongoing monitoring/support and financial literacy training. Inclusion should be based on an assessment of risk and guided by the do no harm principle.
Linkage with child protection mechanisms/programs should be ensured.

6. Cash for Food – General Guidance
The average daily energy intake for an adult Fijian is more than one and a half times the FAO recommended daily nutrient requirement of 2,228 kcal/person/day (2009). Estimates of total average energy intake in Fiji ranges between 3411 – 3700 kcal/day (66% higher than recommended average daily intake)
Over 60% of daily consumption is derived from imported goods, which significantly increases the total cost of a monthly food basket for a household of 4.
Implications for food basket calculations – would require a 50-60% increase in cost from the minimum recommended nutritious food basket
WFP has developed a sliding scale of food baskets and associated transfer values for cash for food programming, which has been adopted by the Cash & Voucher WG
The agreed standard for cash for food ration for the TC Winston response is the Recommended Minimum Nutrition Ration
Households receiving emergency rations (ie of lesser values) should not be considered as having received the minimum food ration and as such should not be excluded from further assistance
Cash for food assistance will largely be conducted through the use of food vouchers. Hard cash or cash transfers may also be considered, however partners are encouraged to consider market implications and consult the Cash and Voucher Working Group before initiating medium-large scale interventions.

7. Food Ration – Cash Transfer Value Scale
Minimum Maximum
NDMO Emergency Food Pack
Emergency Ration (other)
Recommended Minimum Nutritious Ration
Full Recommended Nutritious Ration
Average Household Consumption (Fiji)
Approx. Cost
$40 $
$200 - $250
$380 – $410
$500 +
Implementation context
Supplementary food rations delivered post-crisis – designed to meet partial consumption needs for 1-2 weeks. Must be complimented by other foods or interventions
Emergency food rations delivered post-crisis – designed to meet food consumption needs for 1 month, may be complimented with other foods based on context
Food rations provided 1+ month following a crisis to populations with no regular income and/or facing food gaps
Recommended daily consumption in non-crisis contexts
Regular diet and consumption habits (non-crisis), includes fresh foods
(3411 – 3700 kcal/day)
Timeframe & HH size
1-2 weeks, 4 pp/household
1 month, 4 pp/household
Source (food basket)
NDMO/ADRA
WFP/NutVal/PGM
WFP/NutVal
HIES , FAO (2007, 2004)
Source: Food Pricing
MH Supermarkets, Fixed Commodity Price list for MWCPA Food Voucher Programme