Food Security And Non-food Items

Key Messages

  • People should have access to adequate and appropriate food and non-food items (NFIs) in a manner that is accountable, ensures their survival and well-being, prevents erosion of their assets and upholds their safety and dignity. 
  • The security of staff and residents must be ensured travelling to, from and during distributions. 
  • The participation of representatives from all segments of the camp community, covering gender, age, diversity and disability, is essential in designing registration and ration card systems and identifying appropriate transfer modalities (in-kind, cash and vouchers) for food and NFI assistance during distributions. 
  • It is essential to effectively communicate messages and share information, according to humanitarian standards and agency commitments, with residents about targeting criteria, rights and entitlements, transfer modalities, distribution procedures, staff and agency roles and responsibilities, codes of conduct and procedures for complaints. Checks must be in place to ensure information has been well understood. Monitoring is important. 
  • Where technology is used as part of the distribution process, care must be taken to ensure that everyone can access it and are aware of how to use it. Information sessions should be organised for residents who are not familiar with the technical modalities of distribution. Careful monitoring should be put in place to identify and provide assistance to those who struggle to use new technology. 
  • Home, shelter, warehouse, shop or financial service provider visits, post-distribution monitoring surveys and interviews with residents should be conducted to understand the implementation process and how items are used. These should identify how to address any shortcomings and be done in cooperation with the food assistance and NFI distributing agencies. 
  • Persons with specific needs and groups at risk need to be considered for priority treatment in a camp setting. Depending on the nature of their specific needs, access to distribution sites should be facilitated, and travel to and from financial service providers or shops, as well as in the case of cash transfer and/or vouchers.