Cash-based assistance and the nutrition status of pregnant and lactating women in the Somalia food crisis
A comparison of two transfer modalities
Abstract
Large-scale emergency assistance programmes in Somalia use a variety of transfer modalities including in-kind food provision, food vouchers, and cash transfers. Evidence is needed to better understand whether and how such modalities differ in reducing the risk of acute malnutrition in vulnerable groups, such as the 800,000 pregnant and lactating women affected by the 2017/18 food crisis.
Changes in diet and acute malnutrition status were assessed among pregnant and lactating women receiving similarly sized household transfers over a four-month period (total value of ~US$450 per household) delivered either as food vouchers or as mixed transfers consisting of in-kind food, vouchers, and cash. Baseline and endline comparisons were conducted for 514 women in Wajid, Somalia.
This research was supported by the Research for Health in Humanitarian Crises (R2HC) Programme
Citation
Doocy S, Busingye M, Lyles E, Colantouni E, Aidam B, Ebulu G, et al. (2020) Cash-based assistance and the nutrition status of pregnant and lactating women in the Somalia food crisis: A comparison of two transfer modalities. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0230989. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230989