Humanitarian
3ie supports seven impact evaluations under this programme that provide rigorous evidence to improve the quality of life of people living in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. These impact evaluations examine important questions related to nutrition; food security; resilience; water, sanitation and hygiene; and multi-sectoral humanitarian programming. We expect these studies to answer priority questions on effective and efficient ways to deliver humanitarian programming to improve recovery and build resilience of vulnerable and crises-affected populations.
Spotlight
3ie-supported study wins the Best of UNICEF Research 2019 Award
The 3ie-supported impact evaluation on the effects of humanitarian assistance provided to internally displaced people in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of three studies that has been awarded the Best of UNICEF Research 2019. The evaluation shows that provision of essential household items through vouchers causes substantial improvement in adult mental health and well-being. The award review panel commended the research team for its commitment to quality and the creative solutions it adopted to overcome implementation obstacles in a complex humanitarian setting. This evaluation was co-supported by the UNOCHA DRC Humanitarian Pooled Fund and UNICEF DRC.
As part of this programme, 3ie supports high-quality impact evaluations and systematic reviews to improve evidence on community-driven reconstruction; peace-building programmes; cash-based humanitarian interventions; and water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives, among several others. Funding for this programme is provided by UNOCHA-Common Humanitarian Pooled Fund in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Danida and the World Food Programme.
Why more evidence is needed
UNOCHA predicts that in 2018 over 135 million people globally will need humanitarian assistance and protection. Despite the large number of people in need of assistance, little evidence exists on the effectiveness of aid interventions in challenging humanitarian environments. Two evidence gap maps and a 3ie scoping study highlight the lack of high-quality studies that show the causal relationship between assistance and changes in targeted results.
3ie’s evidence programme
In 2014, 3ie, with the support of UK aid and USAID, launched the humanitarian assistance grant-making programme to increase the stock of high-quality, policy-relevant evidence in the humanitarian sector.
To develop and ensure the relevancy of this programme, 3ie, in collaboration with these donors, hosted a consultative event in 2015 to discuss the scope of the programme and the evidence gaps that exist. At the event, we presented findings from a scoping paper and a methodology working paper that identified innovative methods of measuring impact in humanitarian conditions.
Latest publication: Synthesis of evidence on nutrition programmes in the Sahel
This paper synthesises findings from 3ie-supported impact evaluations of programmes implemented by the World Food Programme to prevent and treat moderate acute malnutrition and improve food security in four countries in the Sahel region. WFP has presented the studies and the synthesis at the executive board meeting and is organising webinars to share the lessons and findings. According to a management response to the synthesis, WFP is using the synthesised findings to validate its global nutrition policy (2017-21) and improve operational strategies in the Sahel and globally.
View synthesis paper | View synthesis brief
New video: How to use innovative methods for humanitarian evaluations
Watch our new how-to video, in which evaluation specialist Tara Kaul highlights some of the lessons we have learned in supporting the generation of useful and timely evidence in fragile and conflict affected humanitarian settings.
For more information, please write to info@3ieimpact.org. To receive alerts about call for proposals, please sign up here.
Partner with us: humanitarian evidence
3ie has more than a decade of experience in disaster-stricken, fragile and conflict-affected countries. We welcome collaboration with organisations working to increase the production and use of high-quality evidence and improve how humanitarian assistance is designed and delivered. Download flyer
