USAID/FFP Post Distribution Monitoring Report for Yobe State, Nigeria

The program covers Damaturu, Potiskum, and Fune Local Government Authorities (LGAs) and provides a 10,000 Naira (NGN) monthly allowance to 3,000 beneficiaries through cash or food vouchers. The Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) report assesses the efficiency of the modality chosen and the effectiveness of the project activities. The PDM results are compared to the baseline results collected in January 2015 in all three LGAs. The report covers the two first months of the cash transfers (April and May), during which 97.7% of the beneficiaries received money transfers from AAH. The beneficiaries interviewed during the PDMs are predominantly IDPs (81.9%), with 18.1% from host communities. The households assessed are headed by women (54.1%) and men (45.9%). In Damaturu and Potiskum LGAs, beneficiaries have access to both cash and food vouchers, while in Fune LGA, only food vouchers are available due to the absence of money agents. The delivery system implemented by AAH-Nigeria through the RedRose OneSolution platform has shown efficiency and ease of use at the field level. Among the beneficiaries interviewed, 91.1% reported being satisfied with the modality applied by AAH-Nigeria for the cash transfers. The main challenges faced by beneficiaries include remembering the security PIN and the technology employed being too sophisticated. The use of cash or food vouchers varies among the beneficiaries, with 63.5% opting for unconditional cash as their main modality, while 36.5% prefer food vouchers. The households' main expenses are cereals (71% on average across the three LGAs), followed by fruits and vegetables (12%). In Potiskum LGA, 90% of the households reported using cash for cereals, while 29% used their cash to pay rent. The households' coping strategies have decreased in the three LGAs, except in Potiskum, where they increased in May before decreasing in June. The use of coping strategies is still above the average in Potiskum compared to the other two LGAs. The households' coping strategy index, calculated using a severity score, has decreased from 22.7 in the baseline to 14.5 in May and 12.7 in June. The Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) indicates an increase in cereals consumption, mainly due to Damaturu LGA, where none of the households reported consuming cereals in the baseline, but 98% did in May and 88% in June. The vegetable consumption has also increased, with 71% of households in Damaturu LGA reporting consumption in June, compared to 0% in the baseline.