WFP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific - 2016 SPRs RBB 2016 SPRs by country | Page 312

Standard Project Report 2016
Project Objectives and Results
Project Objectives
In line with the WFP Strategic Plan (2014-2017) the overall goal of this EMOP was to save lives and protect
livelihoods in emergencies (Strategic Objective 1) and, more specifically, (i) to meet the urgent food needs of people
who have very few other viable means of subsistence left, and (ii) to protect livelihoods, limit negative coping
strategies and contribute to an accelerated return to normalcy. WFP’s Tropical Cyclone Winston response included
the provision of food assistance through cash-based transfers (CBT) to vulnerable people registered in national
social protection programmes, who had been identified by the Government as being in need of additional food
assistance.
In view of Fiji’s dynamic markets, their quick resumption, and the existence of effective nationwide social protection
programmes, WFP recommended a food assistance intervention delivered through CBT as the most appropriate
approach to: address the immediate food needs of some of the poorest and most vulnerable members of
society; limit their reliance on distributed food, as well as prevent the selling of assets and borrowing; and enable
them to purchase locally the food of their choice, and in so doing, help strengthen markets.
Approved Budget for Project Duration (USD)
Cost Category
Capacity Dev.t and Augmentation 625,220
Direct Support Costs 507,395
Indirect Support Costs 218,241
Cash & Voucher and Related Costs
1,985,112
Total
3,335,968
Project Activities
Strategic Objective: Save lives and protect livelihoods in emergencies (SO1)
Outcome: 1.2 Stabilised or improved food consumption over assistance period for targeted households and/or
individuals
Activity: Food assistance intervention through cash-based transfers
WFP studies on the feasibility of using cash-based transfers (CBT) to provide food assistance in Fiji, conducted
before Tropical Cyclone (TC) Winston as part of its emergency preparedness and response (EPR) activities in the
Asia Pacific region, had shown that the Government, through the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty
Alleviation, had strengthened nationwide public social protection transfer programmes using CBT mechanisms
(electronic cards, food vouchers and cash grants) to cater for the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable
members of society.
A 2011 World Bank evaluation report on social protection schemes in Fiji noted the high level of targeting accuracy
of the existing systems, including the Poverty Benefit Scheme (PBS), Care and Protection Allowance (CPA) and
Social Protection Scheme (SPS). The results of the Government’s own post-cyclone top-up transfer programme
using its social protection systems, which launched in March 2016 to support all registered beneficiaries irrespective
of whether or not they resided in the cyclone-affected areas, also demonstrated positive outcomes. A rapid market
assessment conducted by WFP's Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) unit in the wake of TC Winston
revealed that despite the cyclone's devastating effects on people's livelihoods and assets, access to food markets
was rapidly re-established, and supermarkets and wholesalers had resumed operations. These were all key factors
considered in order to determine the appropriateness of using CBT to minimise the adoption of negative coping
Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands (FJ)
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Single Country EMOP - 200957