CARE Food Manual (CARE , 1998, 355 p.) Chapter 11 - Food Distribution To Sites (introduction...) I. Determining Food Requirements (introduction...) A. Number of Regions, Sites and Project Beneficiaries B. Biweekly Requirements for Beneficiaries C. Total Requirements for Beneficiaries in the Regions II. Designing a Transportation Plan A. Program Requirements Based on Ration Size B. Program Requirements Based on Pipeline Analyses C. Turn-Around Time (TAT) D. Number of Trips E. Transport Capacity Required F. Number of Sites and Amount of Food That Can be Delivered III. Distribution Site Accountability (introduction...) A. Receipt of Food B. Ledgers and Beneficiary Lists C. Monthly Distribution Site Reports 1. Preparation 2. Submission IV. Registering Beneficiaries (introduction...) A. Functions and Responsibilities B. Procedures 1. Training and Communication 2. Setting Up Operations 3. Determining Who is Eligible 4. Identification and Recordkeeping 5. Handling Re-registration C. Controlling Abuses of the Registration System 1. Types of Abuses 2. Detecting Abuses 3. Preventing Abuses D. Special Circumstances During Emergencies E. Recipient Status Reports - Monthly 1. Preparation 2. Example of RSR F. Recipient Status Reports - Quarterly V. Preventing Misappropriation and Diversion A. Main Risks of Diversion B. Transport and Delivery C. Agreements/Sanctions D. Ration Size and Quality E. Communication

CARE Food Manual (CARE , 1998, 355 p.)

Chapter 11 - Food Distribution To Sites

Figure

Whether food is distributed to project sites for distribution of dry (uncooked) rations for beneficiaries or wet (cooked) rations, project managers, food and logistic staff, and warehouse managers and storekeepers must develop plans to distribute food to sites.

I. Determining Food Requirements

Suppose CARE and a counterpart carry out a mother child feeding program food in three regions of a country. Donated food combined with local food is prepared on site. While this example involves a project to improve the nutritional status of mothers and children, the same types of calculations can apply to food for work and other direct distribution programs.

A. Number of Regions, Sites and Project Beneficiaries

Region	Number of Sites	Total Project Participants
Region 1	400	50,000
Region 2	320	40,000
Region 3	80	10,000
Total	800	100,000

Project participants are children under the age of twelve who receive a daily supplemental food ration six days per week based on nutritional needs.

B. Biweekly Requirements for Beneficiaries

A mix of peas and Wheat Soy Blend (WSB) is distributed. The table below shows the ration size for each beneficiary for a two week daily period. Two weeks are used because storage areas at project sites can only hold enough food to cover two week periods.

Biweekly Food Requirements Per Project Participant

Food	Daily Ration (grams)	Number of Feeding Days in Delivery Cycle	Total Biweekly Requirement per Participant
Peas	200 g	12	2.4 kgs
WSB	200 g	12	2.4 kgs

C. Total Requirements for Beneficiaries in the Regions

To calculate the total requirements for peas for Region 1:

50,000 beneficiaries x 200g x 12 days = total grams ÷ 1000 = 120,000kgs ÷ 1000 = 120MT. Similar calculations can be done for the other regions and the WSB. The table below sets out the total requirements.

Total Requirements for Beneficiaries by Region for Two Weeks

Region	Beneficiaries	Peas (MT)	WSB (MT)	Total MT
1	50,000	120	120	240
2	40,000	96	96	192
3	10,000	24	24	48
Total	100,000	240	240	480

II. Designing a Transportation Plan

A. Program Requirements Based on Ration Size

Once the size of individual food rations and total needs for all beneficiaries are determined, a detailed plan must be developed to dispatch food from warehouses to distribution sites. The plan should take into consideration how much food is to be sent to each center and how often deliveries must be made. See Food Receipt and Dispatch for basic information on distribution plans and how warehouse managers and storekeepers should keep track of dispatches.

All planning must take into account seasons during a year (e.g., rainy seasons) when regular transport to project sites will be delayed or suspended. In these cases, extra time must be allotted for deliveries or additional food prepositioned at project sites (where there is storage capacity).

Once the total biweekly requirement per project participant is known, the individual requirements for each food distribution site for biweekly deliveries can be calculated. For example, Site 1 in the table below has 100 participants enrolled who will need 240 kg of peas and 240 kgs of wheat/soy every two weeks (the “delivery cycle”). The distribution plan for peas for individual project sites may look something like this. A similar plan would be done for WSB.

Distribution Plan for Peas for MCH Project

Site Name/ID #	Region	# of Project Participants	# of Feeding Days in Delivery Cycle	Total Food Requirement for Delivery Cycle*	Total Requirement minus excess stock**
Site 1	1	100	12	240 kgs or 4.8 bags	240 kgs or 4.8 bags
Site 2	1	150	12	360 kgs or 7.2 bags	360 kgs or 7.2 bags
Site 3	2	125	12	300 kgs or 6 bags	300 kgs or 6 bags
Site 4	3	150	12	360 kgs or 7.2 bags	360 kgs or 7.2 bags
etc...	etc.....

* Another calculation to obtain the food required for the delivery cycle for Site 1 is
200g/person x 12 days x 100 persons = 240,000g/1000 = 240 kgs/50kgs = 4.8 bags

**If there is any excess stock at the site, based on site reports, the amount on hand should be subtracted from the total food requirement.

B. Program Requirements Based on Pipeline Analyses

As with call forwards and transfers of food between warehouses, pipeline analyses should be used to determine current project site needs, taking into account food inventories at project site warehouses or stores. The format in Call Forward and Procurement can be adapted for internal pipeline analyses.

Depending on the nature and scope of the project, pipeline analyses for movements of food from warehouses to distribution sites may be prepared daily, weekly or quarterly. Knowledge about actual stock balances at distribution sites will most accurately inform managers about how much must be moved. However, when there are distance and communication problems between warehouses and distribution sites, managers will likely have to use their best estimates of stock levels to do their analysis.

C. Turn-Around Time (TAT)

If there is only a fixed number of transport vehicles, trucks go to distribution sites and return to warehouses to pick up food for their next trip. CARE or counterpart staff must determine the amount of time it will take trucks to load food, go to one or more sites, and come back to load for their next trip. This is known as the Turn-Around Time (TAT).

Factors to consider in TAT are:

· Distance to the distribution site
· Condition of the roads and bridges, especially during rainy season
· Speed of vehicles
· Loading time at the source
· Unloading time at the destination.

For multiple deliveries TAT should be calculated for each destination.

The example program delivers food to three regions with sites at various distances from the warehouse. Some distribution sites are located within 10 km (Region 3) whereas others are as far as 200 km (Region 1) from the warehouse.

Region 1:

The distance from the warehouse to the distribution sites ranges from 140 to 200 kilometers. Because of the very poor condition of the roads, each truck averages approximately 15 to 20 kph. A half hour is required to load the truck and another half hour required for the unloading at each of the delivery points. It takes between ten and twelve hours to reach a destination and complete unloading at sites in Region 1. It takes another day for the truck to return to the warehouse. The TAT for Region 1 is thus two days.

Region 2:

The distance to the sites from the warehouse is 80-140 kilometers and the roads are in better repair. Trucks can travel at an average speed of 45 kph. Including loading and unloading times, between three and five hours are needed to reach distribution sites. The TAT for Region 2 is thus one day.

Region 3:

The distance is relatively small (10-80 kilometers) and because the sites are closer to urban areas, the roads are in fairly good condition. Trucks are able to travel at an average speed of 50 kph. Sites also tend to be closer together, with fewer numbers of project participants per site. Loading and unloading times are half that of the other regions. The TAT for Region 3 is thus only half a day.

D. Number of Trips

Once the TAT is calculated the next step is to determine the number of trips that can be made during the two week delivery period. In the example, transporters work every day except for Sunday. The number of working days per delivery cycle is 12 (6 days x 2 weeks).

For each destination, divide the number of working days by the Turn-Around-Time.

In the example, the number of feasible trips by region is:

Region 1: 12 operating days ÷ 2 days (TAT) = 6 trips
Region 2: 12 operating days ÷ 1 day (TAT) = 12 trips
Region 3: 12 operating days ÷ .5 day (TAT) = 24 trips.

E. Transport Capacity Required

The following table shows how many MTs per day must be delivered to project sites if all sites are to receive food. For each region divide the total MT by the Trips per Service Cycle to get the Daily Transport Capacity.

Biweekly Distribution Plan for MCH Program

Region	Beneficiaries	Peas (MT)	WSB (MT)	Total MT	TAT	Days/ Service Cycle	Trips/ Service Cycle	Daily Transport Capacity Requirement
1	50,000	120	120	240	2 days	12	6	40 MT
2	40,000	96	96	192	1 day	12	12	16 MT
3	10,000	24	24	48	.5 day	12	24	2 MT
Total	100,000	240	240	480				58 MT

The vehicle type and capacity will vary depending on in-country availability.

In this example, the country office subcontracts commercial vehicles. Because many of the sites are located in remote areas, short-haul trucks with a capacity of 8 MT will make the majority of the deliveries. Thus for deliveries to Region 1, six short-haul trucks will be needed daily to complete distributions from warehouses to the sites over a two-week period.

F. Number of Sites and Amount of Food That Can be Delivered

Finally, plans must include how much food can be carried and how many sites each truck can reach for each trip.

First determine how many tons of food a truck can carry and how many tons each site needs for a delivery cycle. In this case, the trucks have a capacity of 8 MT, but one MT is subtracted due to poor road conditions. If an average site requires 300 kg of peas and 300 kg of WSB every two weeks, divide the truck’s capacity by the average weight required for each site, e.g., 7 MT capacity divided by 0.6 MT (600kgs) per site = 12 sites. Therefore, a truck can deliver food to 12 sites on average.

Second translate tonnage into bags, and assume donors package pulses and grains into 50 kg bags, and blended foods, such as WSB, into 25 kg. bags. A biweekly requirement of 300 kg of peas and 300 kg of WSB is then 6 bags of peas and 12 bags of WSB for a site. Since each truck can service 12 sites per trip, it will carry 144 bags of WSB and 72 bags of peas per trip.

The distribution plan for one delivery could look something like this:

Date	Site	Peas (kgs)	Bags	WSB kgs	Bags	Totals
Jan 14	1	300 kgs	6 bags	300 kgs	12 bags
	2
	3
	ß	ß	ß	ß	ß
	12
Totals			72 bags		144 bags	7 MT

Distributions are scheduled so that each delivery arrives at least two weeks before their site-level stocks are expected to end. The distribution schedule is staggered between regions so that all sites do not run out of food at once.

Thus, for example, the distribution cycle for the three regions could be:

· Region 1 receives food on or before January 14 (stocks expected to end on February 1)
· Region 2 receives food on or before February 1 (stocks expected to end on February 15)
· Region 3 receives food on or before February 15 (stocks expected to end on March 1).

III. Distribution Site Accountability

Internal Control

A paper trail and documentation system must be developed and maintained at distribution sites that accounts for food received, stored and distributed to project beneficiaries. Procedures should be similar to those required for CARE and counterpart warehouses. However, given the small size of many stores, resources available to manage them and their many other responsibilities, country offices must judge how much of an additional burden to place on sites. For example in India and the Philippines, counterparts’ primary responsibilities are to run village centers. Their agencies require them to prepare numerous reports in addition to those required by CARE.

A. Receipt of Food

Persons authorized to receive food must physically count the amount delivered, determine its condition, completely fill out the Receipt Information section of the waybill, and sign the waybill with the transporter. Copy #3 of the waybill is kept by the distribution site.

Distribution site staff must fully understand that they are only to sign waybills for the amount of food actually received. The site will be responsible for all food signed for and may be held liable for any losses discovered by field monitors, auditors or other CARE personnel. Distribution sites must provide CARE or counterparts with sample signatures of all those authorized to sign waybills. All waybills must be filed and accessible to monitors on their inspection visits.

B. Ledgers and Beneficiary Lists

Responsible parties at the site must maintain inventory ledgers for stores which show:

· Receipts of food. At the time of receipt, the amount must be immediately recorded into the ledger system. A copy of the waybill must be kept in the center file.

· Distributions from stores. Site staff must keep a record of the amount of food taken from project stores each day of a distribution. If two bags of peas and two bags of WSB are taken from the store for distribution, this should be recorded in the ledger.

· Dates of all transactions

· Losses incurred during storage

· A running balance of food in stock. The ledgers must be kept up to date so that the balance in the ledgers always matches the actual amount of food in the store.

Beneficiary lists must be maintained which show dates of disbursements to beneficiaries, the type and actual amounts distributed, and the identity of the recipient by name, family or village.

Amounts taken out of stores on a given day for distribution should reconcile with amount of food shown distributed to beneficiaries. For example, if two bags of peas and two bags WSB were taken from stores for a distribution, then beneficiary lists should show that the equivalent of four bags was distributed. If less was distributed, store records should show the amount returned to the store or a possible loss should be recorded.

The records must be accessible for CARE field monitor and other CARE personnel during visits.

C. Monthly Distribution Site Reports

1. Preparation

Each distribution site must prepare a monthly distribution report. The report should summarize the total amount of food received during the month, the amount distributed from their stores to beneficiaries, physical inventory remaining in stores at the end of the month, and losses, including the disposition of unfit food.

The report should also include information on:

· The planned number of beneficiaries eligible to receive food and the actual number of beneficiaries receiving food

· The total amount of food authorized to be distributed and the actual amount distributed

· The approved individual ration size and the actual ration size distributed.

Copies of waybills, records of receipts and distributions of food from stores and beneficiary lists are source documents for preparing the monthly reports.

Distribution site reports are extremely important for CARE program managers because they provide information on not only what food was received at sites but also actual amounts of food that were distributed to beneficiaries. For example, if Site #1 distributed 2.5kgs/person of CSB to 200 persons, but was only authorized to distribute 2.5kgs/person to 100 persons, managers would be alerted to an important problem.

Monthly distribution site reports should not be based on estimates. Apart from field visits by monitors and other CARE staff, these reports provide country offices with the only information on actual amounts of food reaching beneficiaries.

2. Submission

Reports should be submitted to CARE country or regional offices or counterpart offices, within thirty (30) days after the close of each month. Persons at distribution sites should be advised that failure to submit reports on a regular, timely basis could lead to termination of a program.

For distribution sites located near main transportation routes or near cities with CARE or counterpart offices, there should be little problem getting reports in on time.

CARE or counterpart staff should visit distributions site managers located in rural, isolated areas and get agreement, in writing, on times when sites will submit reports.

IV. Registering Beneficiaries

Distributions of food are relatively easy when each site averages only 125 beneficiaries. However, in the early stages of an emergency, conditions can be chaotic and haphazard. Food is distributed to hundreds or thousands of desperately hungry people in a short amount of time, usually in a public setting. However, no matter whether a program operates in a stable environment or an emergency, an effective registration process insures that full rations reach all eligible beneficiaries in an orderly manner.

A. Functions and Responsibilities

A beneficiary registration system has six basic functions:

· Determine who is eligible for assistance
· Identify beneficiaries in a reliable and repeatable way
· Insure that eligible beneficiaries only receive one ration
· Identify duplicate registrations in an existing registered population
· Provide a method of planning for anticipated resource requirements
· Provide information for donor reports.

CARE’s responsibilities in the registration process vary depending on agreements with its counterparts and on project objectives. For example, the counterpart may already provide beneficiary lists and have an established registration system. In these cases CARE is responsible only for monitoring and training. In other situations, CARE may be fully responsible for targeting, registering, distributing, and monitoring end-use activities.

Whether CARE is directly or indirectly involved in the physical registration of participants, a poorly functioning registration system can result in large-scale misappropriation of food.

B. Procedures

1. Training and Communication

· Choose and train special registration teams.

· Communicate project objectives and procedures to the target population directly or through community leaders.

· Be sure beneficiaries are aware of the purposes of the program. It may be appropriate to use speaker vans, as well as posters, songs, and radio announcements.

2. Setting Up Operations

· Be sure there are sufficient staff and transport to perform the registration properly and assure good crowd control.

· Use fencing, ditches, or other markers or physical barriers, as necessary, to keep people in one area while registration is taking place. This will minimize confusion during registration of large groups and may insure that no one is registered twice. This is especially important for start-up of emergency programs involving refugees or internally displaced persons in camps.

· Begin the registration process in areas where it is likely to be most successful. Registrations are subsequently extended to more problematic areas after the initial registrations have gone well.

3. Determining Who is Eligible

Within the context of the project, registration should be based on criteria developed by community leaders, counterparts and CARE, which are supported by objective documentation and participant interviews. For example, the major criterion for participation in some child feeding programs is age--children under the age of twelve are eligible participants. Another project may target vulnerable households, with depleted household assets as the major criterion for participation.

Registration may involve collecting the following types of information:

· Documentation such as birth certificates or immunization cards. In many cases, official documentation will not be available.

· Details about the family, such as number and names of family members, name of family head, and relationships among members. Because the term “family” means different things to different people, project management must agree on a standard definition and apply the definition uniformly across the entire population.

· Information about household assets and food consumption patterns.

Registration should rely heavily on interviews with vulnerable populations and local leaders and the observations of experienced field staff.

4. Identification and Recordkeeping

· Cards with photographs are the most definitive check of a person’s identity. Identity cards should be pre-numbered sequentially or bar-coded, and filed in a computerized database to facilitate name cross-checking. Cards can include other identifiers such as a physical description or fingerprints.

· If identity cards are not feasible, issue tokens, books or tickets.

· If necessary, beneficiary lists or other records should include how the identity of the recipient was verified (e.g., a fingerprint or signature) on the day of distribution.

· Use skin dyes to mark eligible individuals, if culturally acceptable.

· Hold a detailed interview with each family. Place the interview on file for periodic comparison.

· Update census information regularly with records of births, death and migration. This is necessary for assessing the percentage of population coverage and gathering statistics for planning purposes.

5. Handling Re-registration

· Conduct registration and re-registration simultaneously at all geographically adjacent centers to prevent people from registering in two centers.

· Collect or cancel all previously issued tickets, tokens, books or other types of registration materials during re-registration.

· Check and revalidate existing registration documents before re-registration documentation is issued.

C. Controlling Abuses of the Registration System

1. Types of Abuses

· Multiple registration of family members at one center
· Registration of family members at more than one center
· Inflation of family size
· Registration of non-eligible individuals
· Registration of non-existent or “phantom” families
· Sale of beneficiary documents.

2. Detecting Abuses

· Random checks of households of registered project participants (inspection of dwelling and possessions)

· Random cross-checks of other records, such as medical records or birth certificates

· Interviews with people suspected of being registered more than once

· Comparison with records from other areas to check for duplicate registrations.

3. Preventing Abuses

· In small operations, eligible and ineligible individuals may be identified by sight.

· Roll calls and/or card validation before distributions.

· The beneficiary must leave some sort of receipt at the distribution site after the ration is received, such as a coupon or token. This way the distribution staff can also check who has not yet received the ration, from unpunched cards, tokens or tickets. Fingerprints and signatures are sometimes used for verification of receipt.

· The total amounts of food given out should be compared with the total recorded number of eligible persons collecting the rations.

· If the registration is computerized, cards reported to be stolen must be entered into the system to identify if, when, where and by whom the stolen cards are being used.

· Distributions must also be verified through end-use interviews of a sample of the target population and review of distribution site records by CARE monitors (See Monitoring Project Sites).

Internal Control

One system of preventing abuses is for one distribution staff member to serve a standard sized ration to all beneficiaries while another makes a record of all who have collected the ration. The amounts are tallied and compared to the remaining stock at the end of the day by an independent party. If token or coupons are used, these may also be tallied at the end of the distribution.

D. Special Circumstances During Emergencies

Registering participants in the first month or two of an emergency program may not be possible. Initial constraints on beneficiary registration include:

· A large influx of refugees
· A long border in remote, difficult terrain
· Lack of administrative resources, including staff, vehicles, and communications
· Medical, sanitation, water, and food needs
· Difficulty in locating community leaders to assist in the registration
· Difficulty in communications
· No initial agreements or contracts with the host governments and no mandate for registration to take place.

If a country office is having difficulties in registering a target population, regional managers and the Food Security Unit at CARE USA Headquarters and/or CI Headquarters and/or local representatives of donors must be contacted and informed of the cause of the problems and the steps being taken to register people. CARE should begin registering participants as quickly as possible after the operation begins, before leaders begin to seek personal advantage. The later the registration, the more difficult generating cooperation becomes. Despite difficulties during emergency start up programs, all CARE emergency projects must have registration procedures in place at the end of the first month of operation.

E. Recipient Status Reports - Monthly

1. Preparation

Country or regional offices project managers or other persons must prepare monthly Recipient Status Reports (RSR).

RSRs should be prepared by donor and by specific projects (PNs).

The report consolidates the information from the monthly distribution site reports. If there are regional offices, the regional offices should prepare reports for their regions and these should then be consolidated at the country office level.

In cases where distribution sites send two or three monthly reports together, include all information on the RSR for the current month being prepared. Do not readjust previous RSRs.

2. Example of RSR

The following is an example of a monthly RSR. The Report is adapted from AID’s Recipient Status Report for PL 480 Title II food. It is for only one PN and one donor. If there is more than one PN receiving food resources from one or more donors RSRs would have to be done for each PN and donor.

Recipient Status Report

by PN

For Month December

Country Office:	X	Donor: US PL480 Title II
Regional Office:	Region 1
Planned days of distribution: 24

					Type of Food				Type of Food
		#Days Actual	Beneficiaries		Total		Individual Ration		Total		Individual Ration
Site#	Report Date		Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual
1	JAN	24	125	100	7560	7500	2.5	3.1	7560	4800	2.5	2.0
2	JAN	24	125	145	7500	7500	2.5	2.1	7500	5500	2.5	1.5
3	OCT, NOV	24	100	80	6000	5000	2.5	2.6	6000	5000	2.5	2.5
4	JAN	24	150	150	9000	6000	2.5	1.67	9000	6000	2.5	1.67
5	DEC	24	150	150	9000	9000	2.5	2.5	9000	9000	2.5	2.5
6	JAN	24	100	100	6000	6000	2.5	2.5	6000	6000	2.5	2.5
7	JAN	18	100	70	6000	5040	2.5	4.0	6000	4050	2.5	4.0
8	JAN	24	175	160	10500	9600	2.5	2.5	10500	9600	2.5	2.5
9	OCT, NOV	24	110	110	6600	6600	2.5	2.5	6600	6600	2.5	2.5
10	JAN	24	150	150	9000	9000	2.5	2.5	9000	9000	2.5	2.5
Total (or average)			1285	1215	77160	71240	2.5	2.5	77160	65550	2.5	2.4

Prepared by:	Name:______	Title: Asst. Project Mgr.	Date: Feb. 10
Approved by:	Name:______	Title: Project Mar.	Date: Feb. 12

Note: Use additional forms if a PN uses more than two Types of Food.

Recipient Status Report

by PN

For Month October-December

Country Office: X	Donor: U.S. PL480 Title II
Regional Office:____

						WSB				Peas
		#Days (avg.)		Beneficiaries		Total		Individual Ration		Total		Individual Ration
Site#	Report Date	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual	Planned	Actual
	10	24	23	1285	1215	77160	71240	2.5	2.6	77160	66550	2.5	2.4
Total (or average)				1285	1215	77160	71240	2.5	2.5	77160	65550	2.5	2.4

Prepared by:	Name:__________	Titte: Asst. Project Mgr.	Date: Feb. 10
Approved by:	Name:__________	Title: Project Mgr.	Date: Feb. 13

Note: Use additional forms if a PN uses more than two Types of Food.

The example shows that on average the approved levels of food are reaching the approved numbers of beneficiaries. From an overall management point of view, the project is going relatively well. However, from the report project managers can see:

· Sites 3 and 9 have been late with their reports.

· Site 4 has given only two thirds of the approved ration.

· Site 2 distributed only 60% of the required ration of peas.

· Site 7 provided food for 18 days instead of 24 and the ration size for both WSB and peas was 60% higher than the approved ration.

Based on this information, managers may ask field monitors to do follow up site visits to answer questions regarding difficulties in submitting site reports, and possible missing shipments or diversions of food.

F. Recipient Status Reports - Quarterly

Country offices must submit a quarterly Recipient Status Report to CARE and donors. See example above. The quarterly report should be completed within 45 days after the end of the quarter, and it should be submitted with the quarterly Commodity Status and Consolidated Reports. See Inventory Accounting and Reporting.

The Monthly RSR provides comparative information for all distribution sites. The Quarterly Reports for CARE and donors should aggregate numbers for all sites by PN. Only totals need to be shown.

Because quarterly RSRs only provide totals by PN, they may hide specific problems at distribution sites. When patterns begin to appear - consistently late reporting, late arrivals of food at sites, or issues around registering beneficiaries - even though the RSRs themselves are positive, country offices should notify regional managers, other CI members and donors of possible problems.

V. Preventing Misappropriation and Diversion

A. Main Risks of Diversion

The main risks of diversion at the distribution site other than registration abuses described above include:

· Distributors purposely giving less than a prescribed ration to a beneficiary

· Collusion involving site level staff and falsifying distribution records

· Lack of crowd control at the site level

· Favoritism by the distributor. Some distributors give better quality sections of fish or meat to family members and acquaintances.

· Receipt of underweight bags from either the main warehouse or the transporter which do not show up as underweight until the time of distribution. The result of this can be reduced ration sizes to beneficiaries.

B. Transport and Delivery

· CARE must encourage sites to report any irregularities in the quality or quantity of food received. All problems should be investigated as soon as possible. If informants are providing information, all measures must be taken to assure that their information is accurate. Steps must also be taken to protect and reward them.

· If collusion is suspected among the transporter and personnel at a distribution center, an outside monitor should spot-check by counting a sample of the food while in transit. If the problem appears widespread, the random spot-checks should be part of a country office’s regular monitoring plan.

C. Agreements/Sanctions

· CARE should have written agreements with sites which specify contractual obligations and penalties, including repayment of the value of losses for criminal activities, misconduct and/or mismanagement. (See Agreements and Contracts.

· When distribution site personnel are not carrying out their responsibilities or sites are performing inadequately, sanctions should be imposed, as soon as practicable, against the distribution site. Sanctions may act as a credible deterrent and show that CARE is serious about its responsibilities to beneficiaries.

D. Ration Size and Quality

· Provide standardized scoops (tin cans, buckets) to measure out rations and train people to use them properly. Flexible scoops should be avoided as the sides can be squeezed to reduce the ration. Horizontal slits are sometimes punched into the scoops at the fill line to prevent over-scooping.

· If local measurements are commonly used and understood, the metric ration should be converted. For example, the common units of food measurement in Haiti are the marmite and the kola bottle. The following table provides the conversion rates of these local measurements into kilograms:

Local Measures Conversion Table (Haiti)

Commodity	Unit	Kg/Unit	Local Unit	Kg/Marmite
Soy-fortified bulgar	sack	50	20 marmites	2.5
Wheat-soy blend	sack	25	13 marmites	1.92
Peas	sack	50	18 marmites	2.78
Oil	gallon	3.48	10 kolas	.34

· If the ration size changes frequently, scales may be more practical than scoops.

· If scales are too time consuming and cumbersome, rations can be pre-measured and pre-packaged at the warehouse for distribution to the sites.

· If meats are part of the ration, remove ice and make uniform cuts before distribution.

· Sacks and oil cartons should be examined to insure that they are completely empty at the end of the distribution.

E. Communication

· The project objectives and ration size must be communicated by speaker vans, posters, songs and radio announcements to the target population to insure that they are aware of the amounts they are entitled to receive and how the food is intended to benefit their lives.

· If the ration changes as a result of shortages in the food pipeline, recipients must be told the reason for the changes in the system. Misunderstandings can lead to serious security problems, particularly in emergency situations and in refugee camps. CARE staff must also clearly communicate what the population can expect in the future.