In order to improve the sustainable inclusion of CTP in the planning, implementation and analysis of humanitarian responses, capacity needs to be boosted across sectors. Standalone training sessions are not enough in themselves to address gaps at the individual and organisational level, or to overcome obstacles in the humanitarian architecture.
To address the issue, NORCAP/CashCap collaborated with the Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP) to develop a capacity-building scheme (CBS) as a small-scale pilot project. The project was funded by DFID and implemented from 15 December 2015 to 25 March 2017. Its goal was to increase and improve technical expertise in CTP by expanding and diversifying the pool of practitioners able to use the approach and determine its appropriate application in different contexts. The scheme also aimed to provide lessons learned to shape and inform future capacity building interventions on CTP.
The CBS targeted mid-level to senior humanitarians from a range of organisations and across sectors other than food security. It took a comprehensive approach to developing their knowledge, skills and confidence in designing and implementing CTP, and incorporated the following elements: face-to-face training sessions run by CaLP; one-to-one-mentoring and on-the-job application. For community of practice (CoP) members, the latter took place within the participant's organisation, while three-month placements were provided for NORCAP members in hosting organisations.
CashCap also led a two-day training workshop in cash and market-based responses for GenCap experts, during which the participants were familiarised with standards and tools for mainstreaming gender in CTP. They were also coached to be able to advise working groups and humanitarian agencies in the implementation of cash and voucher programmes in the countries they are deployed to. CaLP developed training modules on core CTP skills for technical programme design and quality; core CTP skills for strategic planning and decision-making; response analysis for CTP programmes and quality assurance for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and shelter programmes.
This review describes the enabling and limiting factors and lessons learned from the CBS, and identifies future opportunities.