A Manual for Field Staff to Enhance the General Food Distribution Process

This document is produced to guide and enhance capacities of teams working in food
distribution within the context of the WFP Food Assistance. The objective of this manual is to
ensure that standards are respected and that the work is according to the expectation of WFP
and COMINSUD. The teams at the food distribution point at field level are composed of the
following: Supervisor, Cluster leads, Community Mobilisers, CHWs, CFM persons, Food
management Committee, and Security personnel who should work as a team each with clear
roles and responsibilities. Supervisors and Cluster leads should carefully read and understand
this manual to make sure the protocols are followed. This document is made up of the following
key elements and what is expected at each stage, Access and security concerns before, during
and after distribution, Reception of the Food Release Notes (FRNs), loading at the warehouse,
Reception of food at the temporal storage at the FDPs, Food distribution proper and End of Food
Distribution stock reconciliation, nutrition aspect, protection concerns and Reporting.

Access and security issues to act on

It is our hope to reduce the chances of putting beneficiaries and staff at risk before, during and
after food distribution operations.
It is therefore mandatory for the Supervisors and FDP Leads to:
 Always check the access and security atmosphere in the different areas and report the
situation to the office for decisions.
 Have carried out proper access clearance from all parties that may be a risk before any
activity (mobilization, food reception and distribution etc).
 Should ensure and report to the office that all parties (Government authorities in the area,
NSAGs in the area, the host of the FDP) have been informed before distribution takes
place.

Supervisors and cluster leads shall ensure that Reporting captures the following:
- Updated situation from monitoring like new threats and dynamics and report them so that
prompt actions can be taken.
- All security issues at FDPs.
- Challenges faced by beneficiaries from and to the FDP.
- Any unwanted visitor on site (NSAG & SSF).

Incident Reporting

No incident should be minimized. The office wants to get the first hand report from you first and
not from an outsider.
The following are just some forms of incidents:
- Theft, food loss, visit of an unauthorized person at FDP, food diversion, attack at FDP and
beneficiaries, threats, harassment (something that is continuous).
- Any form of illegal payment and fraud be it beneficiaries and staff for services rendered.
To note:
- Incidents shall be reported to COMINSUD office immediately either by telephone calls and
SMS.
- A comprehensive incident report should immediately follow (not more than 2 hours

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 following the occurrence).
NB: commodity losses at any FDP are paid for to WFP. It is there for very important that the
Supervisors, cluster leads and security personnel guard and prevent any losses as the loss
cost will be borne by all concerned.

Commodity, staff and beneficiary safety

 Ensure all commodities brought are stored safely.
 Material, staff and beneficiaries can access the FDP and safely.
 All doors and windows should be properly checked before, during and after each day of
distribution for the safety of commodities stored.
 No individual should open or close the food distribution point on his own without three to
four staff present.
 All distributions should start at 8:00 AM and close at 4:30 PM.
 No distribution on lockdown days.
 For no reason should a staff sign out food on behalf of a beneficiary or sign.
 Do not stop distribution without any due reason or inform the office for decision making.

Reception of FRN from WFP

Once the food release note has been provided to COMINSUD by WFP or once the transporter has
shared his transportation plan, COMINSUD shall take the following actions:

- Communicate with logistics focal persons(cluster leads or designated field staff) on

dispatch of food, possible arrival time, share with them waybill for them to be aware of
the food they will receive as well as share the drivers contact and encourage
communication amongst them.
- Put together and send to the Field teams the documents needed for distribution and any
NFIs that are needed at the site through the driver and to be collected by the cluster lead.
The field teams under the coordination of the supervisors / cluster leads/ logistics focal persons
shall take the following actions:

1. Inform owners of temporal storage facilities of the expected date of arrival and
distribution of food.
2. Mobilize the food distribution team (Community Mobilisers, CHWs, CFM persons, Food
management Committee, and Security personnel) and communicate possible dates of
food arrival and get the team ready to receive the food.
3. Mobilize the team to prepare the distribution sites in readiness for food reception
(cleaning of the storage room, hold a preparation session to understand tasks and how
they shall function as a team).
4. Cluster Leads and supervisors shall prepare distribution plans and send to the office.
5. Cluster Leads and supervisors shall inform the key community influencers /leaders of the
anticipated date of arrival of food and planned dates for distribution of food. This is to

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 ensure necessary measures are put in place for safety of personnel, materials and
beneficiaries/non-beneficiaries and a safe food distribution.
6. Cluster Leads and supervisors shall inform all beneficiaries and ensure they turn up at
distribution point on the planned distribution dates.

Food Reception at the site from the transporter and his team

1. Cluster lead should notify the office on the arrival of food by sending pictures of the truck.
2. Upon arrival of the truck and before offloading the cluster lead /logistics focal person
shall collect the waybill from the transporter and use it for proper follow up.
3. The reception of food shall be done by the following: Cluster leads and/or Supervisors,
Community Health Worker and two other Mobilisers who shall count all stock thoroughly
and record it in the ledgers provided. Check to make sure the expected quantity is what
has been sent before signing the waybill and must ensure that any differences are
communicated and recorded.
4. Remember to do a thorough check of the vehicle before and after offloading to make sure
that it was not carrying other items which could intoxicate the expected food like fuel,
kerosene and other chemicals, and if identified, it should be reported to the office
immediately.
5. Do not receive food under the rain, after 4pm, and on a lockdown day and should the
transporter insist, do not sign the waybill, inform the office immediately and wait for
instructions. (Do not open the temporal storage facility on a lockdown day). If the arrival
time is after 4 pm, inform the office and wait for instructions.
6. Make sure food reception is done in the presence of a staff of the transporter.
7. Request for reporting document from the driver as it is always given to them.
8. Once the process of food reception is over, fill in, scan and send the stock reception form
and the waybill the Cluster lead has signed to confirm that food has been received in the
right quantity as on the waybill and in good condition.

Incidents before and during distribution at food distribution points

It is our hope that each distribution goes on smoothly. But should any incident occur at the
distribution site, the cluster lead, CHW, CFM, FMC must report it to the office IMMEDIATELY.
The office shall not tolerate receiving a first-hand report of an incident rather from some
other source than the field staff at the site.

Distribution Proper

1. The Cluster lead shall ensure that the site is opened at 7:30 A.M and the following must
be present: the Security Personnel, Community Health Worker and one Mobilizer.
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2. Immediately the FDP is opened, stock must be counted, recorded in the ledgers provided
alongside time of count, scanned and sent to the office.
3. Distribution shall start at 8 A.M.

Before start of distribution at 8 A.M:

4. Before distribution, Cluster Lead shall have at least 5 minutes discussion with the team
on who is doing what and where. This shall be done to ensure a good level of
coordination of the food distribution operations.
5. Visibility material (banners, posters, ration for the month, etc) must be placed in strategic
positions so that anyone visiting the site can know what is happening.
6. The cluster lead shall lead the team to set up the distribution site ensuring
beneficiaries/non-beneficiaries have sufficient shelter and seats while respecting special
line posters.
7. Portable drinking water and clean cups should be made available and placed where
everyone can easily access it.
8. The food distribution point shall be arranged in this order: Reception Desk, Sign in desk,
Waiting section, Rationing section, Sign out desk, Nutrition desk and at the exit point the
Complaint and Feedback Desk).
9. The cluster lead shall ensure that sensitization of the persons at the distribution site is
done at least twice on distribution day (must be done in the morning before beneficiaries
start collecting their food) the sensitization shall cover the following : the food
distribution process, the donor (WFP), beneficiary selection criteria, beneficiaries’ ration, ,
humanitarian principles, corruption, fraud, gender-based violence, PSEA, complaint and
feedback mechanism and nutrition

During Distribution:
10. The Crowd control personnel shall usher a maximum of 10 recipients at a time to the sign
in table.
11. Sign in personnel shall verify identification documents (national identity card or church
contribution card or birth certificate, etc) of beneficiaries and if the identification is
adequate, he/ she writes the ration for the month on the beneficiary’s ration card, directs
the beneficiary on where to sign on the sign in list.
12. In cases where the beneficiary lacks identification documents, checks are done such as:
Calling the phone number attached to the name on the beneficiary’s list, checking the age
written on the beneficiary list and comparing with the age of the beneficiary, asking
community members if they recognize the individual and if it is the right beneficiary. If it
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 turns out that the person is misrepresenting the right beneficiary, the card should be
withdrawn, inform the office immediately and wait for instructions.
13. In case an alternate comes to collect food on behalf of the primary beneficiary, they must
present their identification documents and that of the primary beneficiary. The sign in
personnel shall call the primary beneficiary for them to confirm that they sent an alternate
to collect the food on their behalf. They will also be informed that in future absence, only
that same person can collect on their behalf. Entitlement will not be given in the absence
of identification documents of both parties. Also, no one person will act as alternate for 2
different primary beneficiaries.
14. Upon food collection, beneficiaries present clean materials to collect food, and hands
their ration cards to the mobilizers, who rations the right quantities as on the card and
hands it to the beneficiaries.
15. In cases where beneficiaries come with dirty bags/containers to collect food, the
mobilizers should caution the beneficiaries to come with clean materials next time while
giving them clean bags/containers from which food has been removed.
16. Beneficiaries shall be directed to the sign out table at the exit of the rationing section
where they present their ration card and sign out on the beneficiary’s list. Sign out
personnel must make sure no beneficiary leaves the site without signing out.
17. The sign out personnel shall direct all parents / caregivers of Children 6-23 months and
the pregnant/lactating women to the nutrition desk where they shall undergo the MUAC
and then receive Super cereal +.

At the Nutrition Desk

Cluster leads and the Community Health Workers shall note the following:

1. There are 3 set of registers for SPF, that is: MAM supplementation register and 1 SPF
register for children and another for pregnant and lactating women.
2. Super cereal + is given only to children 6-23 months and pregnant/lactating women.
3. The Children 6-23 months and the pregnant/lactating women must be present on-site for
screening for malnutrition before collection of super cereal plus. This meams that in
mobilizing beneficiaries to come collect food the field staff must advise parents and
caregivers in the GFD list to come along with the children.
4. The beneficiaries for nutrition (Super cereal +) must come from a GFD household, so they
must present the ration card of a family member who is benefiting from GFD to the
Community health worker.
5. Children identified with SAM on site must be referred to the health facility for treatment
and should not be given super cereal plus. The CHW will use the reference card to capture
and sent a SAM child to the health facility and do follow up

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 6. To refer a SAM case the referral card must be filled.
7. A Cooking demonstration of super cereal and then any other local dish must be prepared
on site during every day of distribution as demonstration and shared learning.
8. The Community health worker should take note that children identified with MAM but who
do not belong to a GFD household should be enrolled for MAM supplementation. (Use
register for MAM Supplementation)
NB

The Community Health Worker shall use the template for daily reporting to capture and
report the information required on the template. This means the CHW should carefully go
through the form and where ther is still doubt he or she to contact the Nutrition coordinator
for clarification

At the close of Distribution

1. Cluster leads shall ensure that Distribution stops at 4:00 P.M.

2. The sign in/ sign out lists must be cross checked and reconciled to ensure that the
number of persons who signed in are equal to number of persons who signed out.
3. The cluster lead shall prepare the Daily distribution reports and ensure that the stock on
ground is counted the figures written in the ledger, scanned and sent to the office at the
close of each day of distribution.
4. Daily distribution reports for GFD and nutrition (SPF) must be sent by the cluster lead
and/or supervisor by the close of each day of distribution. So once distribution has
stopped at 4:00, the team must devote some time like 30 minutes to count and record
stock and equally write the daily distribution report that they shall submit.
5. At the close of distribution, cluster lead and his team should hold an evaluation meeting
to evaluate their work and see how any lapses can be corrected.
6. The site should be closed at 5 P.M in the presence of the Cluster Lead, Security Personnel,
Community Health Worker and any other Mobilizer.
Monitoring the protection aspect of the food distribution process

This role shall be performed by the CFM person with the support of the Cluster Lead

The Cluster Lead shall ensure that:

 Beneficiaries should be well informed and encouraged to make use of all the Complaint
and Feedback Mechanisms available for them to safely report all cases of exploitation.

 Beneficiaries are informed that the Food assistance is free and unconditional. Nobody
should ask for money, sex or any favour in exchange for it.

 WFP has zero tolerance towards Fraud and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

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  Beneficiaries clearly see the number 673659994 or hotline toll free 8099 to report cases.

The CFM shall take note and ensure the following:

 There is sufficient shelter for beneficiaries, any site with inadequate shelter should
indicate.
 There are enough chairs for beneficiaries.
 There is portable drinking water for beneficiaries at all times during distribution, cluster
leads should assign persons to refill on a rotationary basis.
 The FDP is clean and adequately set up.
 There are toilets during distribution. Cluster Leads and Food Management Committee
members should identify and talk with members of their community to help lend their
toilets to be used by beneficiaries and staff during distribution and follow up and
ensure the toilets are clean at all times.
 Together with Food Management Committee members, receive and interact with both
beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries on site.
 There are no children below 18years at the site to collect food. The number of girls and
boys below 18 years who come to the FDP to collect food must be recorded and
reported.
 Report if any NSAGs or Security forces show up at the distribution site and follow-up
with Supervisors/cluster leads/food management committee members to find out
what they want and try to settle the matter without causing tension.
 Pregnant and lactating women, disabled persons (people with special needs), elderly
persons, and persons coming from very far off areas are served first, irrespective of
when they come to the distribution site.
 Alternates should not come with more than one ration card and each alternate’s name
must be written on the ration card. Food will only be given to the beneficiary or the
alternate that has been properly registered. Alternates must also come along with the
identification documents of the primary beneficiary.
 Report cases of beneficiaries who trek from very far off distances (5km and above)
before getting to the site.
 Cases where in a beneficiary collects food and refuses to give his household, or gives
to one family and deliberately refuses to give the other should always be reported. Also,
cases where in beneficiaries sell the items collected rather than sharing with his/her
family/neighbors should be reported.
 CFM personnel together with Cluster Leads must capture success stories from a
beneficiary who has been benefiting for long during every round of distribution.
NB

At the end of each distribution the CFM/ GFP shall use the protection reporting template to

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prepare the protection report for the distribution process.

Field Teams Roles and Responsibilities

Supervisor

Before Distribution
- Provide information to Administration and security forces on the arrival of food and
distribution calendar for the month.
- Carry out access negotiation with NSAG and local actors to ensure safe distribution of food.
- Check with FDP Focal person(s) to ensure proper mobilization and planning has been done
for effective food distribution.
- Liaises with the project security officer to ensure safe transportation and distribution of
food items
During Distribution
Be present at Food Distribution Point where supervision will be carried out for the day and
control, supervise and support in the following aspects.
• Check stock before, during and after distribution to make sure it ties with waybills,
beneficiaries that have received food and left over as the case may be.
• Ensure right rations are given out and protocols at FDPs are respected:
- Ensure Security at FDPs,
- Ensure protection FDPs,
- Ensure rationing is implemented at FDPs
- Ensure reporting is happening daily and at end of distribution
• Fill out the daily report template.
• Collect relevant justification information as provided in the check list.
After distribution
- Consolidates and sends all the necessary documents compiled at the end of distribution to
the office. (Put together reports and relevant justifications and forward to the office within 2
days)
- Hold debriefs and evaluation meeting with all those involved at the FDP.

Others

Check and conduct findings in case of undesired incidences and prepare an incident
report immediately.
 Keeps data on all mobilizations and distributions in their various areas.
 Respect hierarchy and report all acts of misconduct irrespective of who the perpetrator is

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 (even if it is you).
Cluster Lead

Each cluster is headed by a cluster lead. He/she is responsible for the following:

 Receive, count food commodities, counter sign waybill, snap, send to the office and
report any shortages or excesses immediately food is received.
 Directs the activities of the distribution committee as described above.
 Orientates members of the distribution committee on various procedures.
 Assist the supervisor to ensure safe transportation and distribution of food items.
 Ensures the safety of food commodities in case of temporal storage.
 Works with supervisors to ensure smooth running of cluster activities.
 Ensure that beneficiaries have their right rations.
 Assist in ensuring project visibility.
 Carryout sensitization on each day of distribution.
 Ensure all beneficiaries sign in and out.
 Ensure all distribution processes are followed and duly respected.
 Ensure proper handling of all food commodities on site to minimize spillages.
 Ensure beneficiaries are sensitized on the food distribution process as a whole.
 Facilitates the payment of all mobilizers/volunteers under their cluster.
 Immediately reports emergency situations.
 Submit all distribution and finance reports to field supervisors.
 Sign and share with the office TPM key findings immediately it is available.
 Report every event at all times happening during and after the food distribution
process.
 Ensure the FDP is clean.
 Ensure there is portable drinking water onsite.
 Make available shelter facilities and chairs for beneficiaries.
 Ensure all volunteers/ mobilizers and present on time and performing their different
tasks correctly.
 Respect hierarchy and report all acts of misconduct irrespective of who the
perpetrator is (even if it is you).
 Fill in the monthly reporting template for cluster leads and send through your

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 supervisor, alongside other documents.

Role of the community mobilizers/volunteers

Mobilizers/volunteers make up the distribution committee at each FDP. There will be three (03)
mobilizers/volunteers per FDP supervised by the cluster lead. The major roles of the DC will be
as follows:

 Organization of distribution site.

 Community mobilization.
 Crowd control.
 Beneficiary identification and verification using appropriate tools (sign in and sign out
forms).
 Distribution of food to beneficiaries.
 Report to the cluster lead.
 Ensure the safety of food commodities.
 Ensure the FDP is clean.
 Ensure there is portable drinking water onsite.
 Make available shelter facilities and chairs for beneficiaries.
 Respect the dignity of beneficiaries.
 Respect hierarchy and report all acts of misconduct irrespective of who the perpetrator is
(even if it is you).
 Provide all information expected of you.
 Ensure beneficiaries receive their right rations at all times.
Role of the Community health Worker

 Verify and register children aged 6-23 months, pregnant and lactating women and girls.
 Ensure the right beneficiaries are issued SPF ration cards.
 Carryout onsite screening of ALL SPF beneficiaries (i.e. children aged 6-23months and
PLW) for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) or moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) during
every day of distribution.
 Carryout door-to-door screening of ALL children 6-59 months for malnutrition on a
quarterly basis.
 Refer and follow up all identified SAM cases to SAM services in target area for treatment.
 Provide nutrition counselling and follow up to all identified MAM cases.

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  Ensure the proper distribution of super cereal plus to the targeted beneficiaries (i.e.
children aged 6-23months and PLW).
 Sensitize and counsel caregivers and will be caregivers of children on appropriate
complementary feeding practices and use of locally available nutritious food for their
children in order to prevent malnutrition.
 Ensure the same process of verification and signing is done for the entry and exit forms.
 Ensure children who reach 24 months are exited from the program.
 Ensure children who reach 6 months are enrolled into the program while their mothers are
exited from the program.
 Provide timely and quality daily distribution figures to Nutrition Coordinator.
 Pay home visits to children not gaining weight as required upon consumption of super
cereal plus to know why they are not responding as expected and report to Nutrition
Coordinator once every month.
 Pay home visits to MAM cases to ensure they consume the super cereal plus as required.
 Fill in correct data on the SPF and MAM supplementation.
 Report all findings in a timely manner to Nutrition Coordinator.
 Fill in the monthly SPF report template for community health workers and send through
the cluster lead.
Roles of Complaint and Feedback Mechanism Mobilizers

 To ensure the presence of a feedback bench at FDP during each day of distribution.
 To sensitize beneficiaries on the importance of feedback and complaint writing.
 To provide feedback on food distribution activities.
 To direct the use of feedback and complaint boxes and complaint forms.
 Help beneficiaries capture their complaints in case they can’t write.
 Get a number of beneficiaries to give personal impressions and success stories.
 To collect and forward all feedback and complaints in the suggestion box.
 To provide a situational report directly to the office after each distribution.

Role of the FMC

 Oversees all activities at the FDP to ensure that the right beneficiaries are being served.
 Help in identifying and verifying beneficiaries.
 Help in solving certain problems that arise at the FDP that needs the services of a
community member.
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  Help in facilitating access within communities.
 Help in spreading information about WFP’s activities with different stakeholders in their
communities.
Role of the Security Personnel

 Ensure the safety of food commodities at all times and report to cluster lead and/or
supervisor any abnormalities.
 Could be assigned to assist in rationing
 Assist in crowd control and in rationing.

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