CASH BASED PROGRAMMING IN SOMALIA
Module 7 : Focus on cash for work
This guidance note is part of a series of nine modules that seeks to provide support to humanitarian actors
working on Cash Based Programming in Somalia. These guidance notes are meant to provide an overview of
the topics while pointing to materials with more in-depth explanations.
Appropriateness

Cash for work doubles the impact of the project. Vulnerability of the target group can be partly caused by
the poor condition of some infrastructure. Such work should not normally required skilled labour and can
be rehabilitation of roads, water catchments desilting, irrigation canal rehabilitation, garbage collection,
earth pan rehabilitation, abandoned farms rehabilitation. The construction of basic buildings for schools
and health centres has also been undertaken. Therefore cash for work can target impacts for a
community beyond increasing the purchasing power of a household.

Cash for work can also be considered in locations where unconditional cash transfer is not acceptable to
local authorities (as in the case of Al Shabaab controlled areas) or where unconditional cash transfers
would generate too much tension from non-beneficiaries. Due to seasonal agricultural needs and the
general lack of maintenance of infrastructure in Somalia, there are always opportunities to engage people
in infrastructure rehabilitation. CFW activities should be set up in such a way that vulnerable household
with labour capacity can be offered appropriate work loads and safe working conditions. As such the
duration of the CFW project should remain short.

Cash for work activities should be targeted to the lean seasons when poor households are seeking daily
wage labour at a time when own food stocks are low, livestock in poor condition so rates of exchange for
cereals unfavourable and food prices higher.

Cash for work should be partly ‘self-selecting’ in that the better off should exclude themselves from low
paid manual labour
Project selection
The project selection should consider the following:
Distance of work site to residential areas and inclusion of more
far flung community members.
Time needed for beneficiaries to come to the place of work.
Cost of travel to the place of work.
Security implication of travel to the place of work.
Who will benefit from the rehabilitated infrastructure. It is
important from a conflict sensitive point of view and global local
acceptance to understand who will benefit from the work done.
The selection of the project should consider low technological
requirements, community ownership and how widespread the
benefits are as well as sustainability of the project and impact
on the environment should also be considered. Simple
infrastructure rehabilitation is likely to only have a 2 year
lifecycle.
Planning and implementation should be based upon clear,
written technical guidelines specifying selection criteria, basic
design aspects, etc
〖…….〗 Km
〖…….〗 hours
〖…….〗 USD
〖…….〗
〖…….〗
Are guidelines available / prepared by the IO ?
Ask the FS cluster, many guidelines are available
already!
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CASH BASED PROGRAMMING IN SOMALIA
Module 7 : Focus on cash for work
Targeting
Selection criteria for the beneficiaries involved in the cash for work activities could consider the following:
Ability to physically work (this may exclude the elderly, pregnant women, youths List of exclusion and inclusion
below a certain age
criteria.
Number of people per household invited to participate in the project.
〖…….〗
Ability / flexibility for workers to continue to carry out domestic tasks workers
responsible for children in young ages. Creches may be set up when possible and
⧠ Yes ⧠ No
where needed.
Gender consideration. Designing CFW activities for women should take into
consideration the followings points;
Cultural acceptability; in some areas teams composed of men and women
might generate disapproval for religious/cultural practices. Different tasks
⧠ Yes ⧠ No
could be proposed in different sites and teams should be set up per gender
when needed.
Women’s responsibility for domestic tasks and child care means programming
for women should take this into account with shorter working days, different
〖…….〗
timing, crèche provision if appropriate and lighter tasks. Substitution of other
household members is acceptable.
Payment amount and frequency
The set-up of the rate to be paid is can be complicated and must take into consideration the following;
Key point to consider
Remarks
Amount
The rate of the contribution to cash for work
should be defined taking into consideration
what others agencies are paying, the level of
labour on the local market, but more
importantly should take into consideration the
final objective of the project and cfw is not an
employment scheme.
The rate of the local market for specific task
(usually unskilled labour)
The level of effort for the work done.
Women and men should be paid the same wage.
Frequency
Frequency of payment should take into
consideration
 The logistics, cost and security implications
of frequent payment for IO, beneficiaries
and eventually the cash transfer
companies.
 The urgency for beneficiaries to receive
The daily rate should be linked to the “Module 3: Planning and
designing cash interventions. Chapter How much to give and
when to give it”. Respecting considerations such as “daily rate
per worker” and “how much should be transferred to targeted
beneficiaries” could be estimated through the employment of
more than one household member in the project, or adjusting
the numbers of working days targeted per month if possible. In
case of difficulty in balancing these two considerations, the daily
rate per worker is less important than the amount of cash
needed to meet the objective of the project However, the daily
rate still needs to be coordinated with others actors. 〖…….〗 USD
/ day.
〖…….〗USD / day
〖…….〗
⧠ Yes
Tool vouchers may be given and also a start up unconditional
cash voucher in contexts of high food insecurity.
Type of expenditures could evolve with the frequency of
payment as prioritization at household level could then vary
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CASH BASED PROGRAMMING IN SOMALIA
Module 7 : Focus on cash for work
payment.
 The modalities of payment. If payment can
be done by phone with all beneficiaries
having a phone, then a high frequency
payment could be set up.
 Please remember: it is better to have
longer payments intervals, but predictable
and without delays, than shorter ones but
with delays – HHs in Somalia have usually
access to informal credit and if transfers
are predictable and in time, the credit
system will also works well and ‘ bridge’
for the larger intervals.
Conditions of payment
Ideally, payment is done based on the level of
work done. xx USD for example per volume of
soil extracted per day. (This is hard to measure
in some cases so hours per day could be
considered as a proxy).
〖…….〗 USD / unit of work
Implementation
Key point to consider
Absenteeism management.
Provision of tools in sufficient quantity and quality.
Provision of protection and safety equipment.
Establish a contract with each worker to increase
accountability and to ensure that each worker is
known to the project should any incident occur.
In some areas, some sensitization on UXO
management should be done. Some IO can provide
this type of sensitization through within a day training.
Provide enough water (food optional) during the work.
Working hours
Seasonality
Remarks
Women are foreseen to face more constraints in
dealing with the cash for work activities as their
household tasks including taking care of children will
remain. Possible replacement of the worker by a
nominee proposed by the absent beneficiary could be
considered.
The efficiency of the work and the level of efforts will
also depend on the tools available.
Gloves and proper safety shoes as boots could be
considered based on the type of work to be
implemented.
A contract with each worker permits clear definition of
the conditions of work.
Is there a risk to find UXO ? ⧠ Yes ⧠ No
Is a UXO training planned ⧠ Yes ⧠ No
Working hours should take into consideration distance,
security, level of effort, effort to under specific climatic
conditions (heavy rains, sun in the afternoon, …). If
excavation is foreseen, the different type of soils will
heavily influence the amount of work that can be
performed daily. Work norms should account for this
variability.
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CASH BASED PROGRAMMING IN SOMALIA
Module 7 : Focus on cash for work
Flexible? Separate? Shorter? Working hours for women
or other vulnerable profiles could be considered.
Working days sheet.
CFW Monthly
attendance list.xlsx
Take photos as part of evidence of the status of the
infrastructure before and after the completion of the
work. However, this might not always be possible in AS
controlled area. Consider always taking photo with
GPS activated throughout the project period to enable
measurement of progress and impact
If GPS coordinates are available, consider asking
specialized agencies / actors / parties to perform
monitoring via remote sensing technologies. This
option is available, make use of it.
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