Cash for Work in Sierra Leone : A Case Study on the Design and Implementation of a Safety Net in Response to a Crisis

This paper presents an assessment of the
first phase (2008?2009) of Sierra Leone's cash for work
program based on a qualitative and quantitative analysis
examining program design features, main processes and
impact. The assessment highlights that while cash for work
was an appropriate crisis response, the challenge of
achieving good targeting should not be underestimated.
Findings from the assessment point to high inclusion errors
of non?poor population quintiles, despite the program
apparently many rules of best practice in program design.
The assessment points to a series of factors to explain
targeting performance, and future strategies consider mixed
methods with a greater emphasis on the role of communities
in affecting overall outcomes. The assessment notes areas of
success during implementation, including the impact of the
program in promoting cohesion amongst youth groups, as well
as women. In this sense the assessment points to future
strategies and options for moving cash for work forward
under its expanded incarnation of the Youth Employment
Support Project. Through the use of light qualitative and
quantitative methods, the paper also advocates for similar
assessments where monitoring and evaluation capacity are
weak and time constraints tight.