Research on Food Assistance for Nutritional Impact (REFANI)

The Consortium for Research on Food Assistance for Nutritional Impact (REFANI) was an international, three year, £3.2 million research project, generously funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom. The REFANI project examined the impact of food assistance (cash, vouchers and/or direct food transfers) on nutrition outcomes in crisis affected contexts in Niger, Pakistan and Somalia. The project ended on April 1st 2017 but further analysis of ENN generated data is in planning.

The project consortium partners were Action Against Hunger International (ACF), Concern Worldwide, the ENN and the University College of London (UCL). 

 For more information contact REFANI@actionagainsthunger.org

ENN was responsible for one research study in Pakistan which was a four arm Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) comparing cash, double cash and fresh food vouchers with a control arm over a six month intervention period and then, at 12 months in terms of impact on wasting. Secondary outcomes of interest were stunting and anaemia. The study has been completed and the main impact findings have been published in a peer reviewed journal (see below). 

ENN are pleased to share the REFANI synthesis report of the cash and nutrition research we carried out in Pakistan alongside ACF and the research work UCL and Concern conducted in Niger and Somalia.

• The cost of preventing undernutrition: cost, cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness of three cash-based interventions on nutrition outcomes in Dadu, Pakistan.
• Impact evaluation of different cash-based intervention modalities on child and maternal nutritional status in Sindh Province, Pakistan, at 6 months and 1 year: A cluster randomised controlled trial.
• A cluster RCT to measure the effectiveness of cash-based interventions on nutrition status, Sindh Province, Pakistan. Field Exchange Issue 54, May 2017. 
• Research on Food Assistance for Nutritional Impact (REFANI): Literature Review.
• Research on Food Assistance for Nutritional Impact (REFANI): Summary and Synthesis Reports.