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WFP Beneficiary Feedback Mechanism: Strengthening Accountability in Food Assistance Activities
What is the Beneficiary Feedback
Mechanism? In July 2015 the World Food Programme
(WFP) set up its first Beneficiary Feedback Mechanism (BFM) in Sierra Leone to
enhance its accountability and interaction with beneficiaries by allowing them to call or email directly when they have questions or
complaints about WFP food assistance activities. A telephone hotline and a
dedicated confidential e-mail address are accessible to anyone in Sierra Leone who
has a question or comment about WFP’s work.
Since the BFM was established, WFP has investigated 20 cases from beneficiaries
who had concerns over food assistance entitlements or processes, mostly in the areas of support to quarantined households
and cash based transfers to Ebola survivors & populations in former hotspot
communities. Why do we need a BFM?
The BFM aims to identify a range of issues including security, sexual abuse and
exploitation, discrimination, targeting and registration, fraud and food diversion to help improve WFP programmes. Most
importantly, the BFM enables WFP to gather information from our primary stakeholders —
the beneficiaries we serve — to understand how our food assistance can be better
delivered and more effective. The BFM
complements WFP post-distribution monitoring and reports from our field staff
and cooperating partners by enabling regular contact with targeted beneficiaries.
In addition to hearing from our direct beneficiaries, the BFM is a tool for
communicating with the general population who may be interested in or have comments about our work. By being accessible to entire
communities, WFP can strengthen the way it works and delivers food.
Process From the moment a call first comes in, WFP tracks the feedback to see what went wrong or what can be improved.
World Food Programme Sierra Leone January 2016
1. Call or e-mail received from beneficiary
2. Feedback registered in BFM database
3. Verification & investigation by WFP focal
point
4. Action taken based on findings
5. Case closed and programmes improved
Peter SCOTT-BOWDEN
Country Director & Representative
Benefits of the BFM
Maintaining a BFM has many benefits for WFP, for beneficiaries, and for other stake-
holders. Some of these benefits for WFP include: It helps us to know and understand bet-
ter what is happening in the areas where
we are providing assistance;
It allows, at an early stage, the detection of problems - such as targeting, quality
of food, etc.;
It helps us to understand beneficiaries’
perception of WFP’s work;
It can serve to alert WFP to cases of mis-conduct, fraud, corruption, political inter-
ference and preferential treatment;
It helps ensure our programmes are con-ducted properly and in accordance to
WFP’s standards; and
It is consistent with our commitment to a
rights-based approach to programming.
Some of these benefits for stakeholders
include:
It helps establish stronger trust relation-
ships with communities;
It encourages meaningful participation
and a means to listen to the voices of
beneficiaries and affected populations;
It strengthens accountability and trans-
parency of governments and implement-
ing partners working with WFP;
It helps to improve quality and effective-
ness of aid and assistance;
It provides additional information to do-
nors directly from the communities and;
It creates a culture of accountability,
transparency and participation.
Lessons Learned Through the BFM
The key finding from interactions with ben-eficiaries through the BFM is that WFP and its cooperating partners need to strengthen
communications with beneficiaries. In-creased community sensitization on distri-
bution processes and entitlements will re-duce the number of complaints and queries from beneficiaries.
Especially with cash based transfers, which
many beneficiaries are not accustomed to receiving, the BFM is an important tool that beneficiaries are using to understand the
registration and payment process, transfer
amounts, and locations for receiving their transfer.
Beneficiaries also appreciate the opportuni-ty to have their voice heard and to give their feedback.
What’s Next?
For all local food procurement purchases, WFP is printing the BFM hotline and e-mail address on the commodity packaging as an-
other way to increase awareness of the BFM. Posters placed at distribution points will in-
crease awareness of ways to contact WFP.
How to Contact WFP through the BFM Beneficiaries can contact WFP through a desig-
nated hotline number +232 7674 7773 or by
email at [email protected].
