5.2 Procedures

  • Obtain a provisional recipient (beneficiary) list, per established targeting criteria, from community representatives or local authorities (where community-based or administrative targeting mechanisms are used). Divide the list by recipient’s present residence in the administrative divisions being used (e.g. neighbourhood, village, sector of camp) to determine the number of individuals or households in each subdivision of the target population. This information will be essential in determining each recipient’s distribution site.
  • Determine how eligibility (targeting) criteria will be verified during the registration process. Use objective documentation (such as birth certificates, government issued identity card, passports or immunisation cards if available), interviews and/or observations of experienced field staff.
  • Determine what demographic information will be collected during the registration process. The type of information generally relates to targeting criteria and may include:
    • name and gender of family head
    • names, gender and ages of household members (as special programmes may be available to specific demographic segments)
    • relationships among household members (as the term family varies)
    • current residence and (for refugees/displaced populations) home of origin.
  • Recruit and train registration personnel. Ensure sufficient staff is available to perform the registration properly and provide crowd control. Individuals registering recipients cannot be the same as those involved in monitoring the distributions. Ensure all registration personnel sign CARE’s Code of Conduct.
  • Communicate programme objectives, targeting criteria and registration procedures to the target population directly or through community leaders. It may be appropriate to use speaker vans, as well as posters, songs and radio announcements.
  • Encourage the formation of community groups or committees to facilitate the registration process.
  • To minimise confusion and avoid duplicate registration:
    • at the registration site, use fencing, ditches or other markers or physical barriers (as necessary) to keep people in one area while registration is taking place
    • attempt to register the entire population on the same day
    • utilise a method to distinguish between those registered and those not registered, e.g. marking thumbs of those registered with indelible ink; placing bracelets on wrists prior to the registration, and removing them as a ration card is issued.
  • During registration, physically verify the names on the provisional recipient list with real people/households, and collect demographic information as appropriate.
  • Record how eligibility criterion was verified.
  • Record additional demographic information, if any.
  • Once verified, check the names off on the recipient list.
  • If, at the end of registration, there are names on the recipient list that have not been checked off, or there are families presenting themselves that were not on the list initially, resolve these discrepancies through consultation with community leaders. Update recipient list as appropriate.
  • Issue ration or identification cards to each household. Cards should:
    • be pre-numbered sequentially
    • contain some form of identification such as a photograph, a physical description or fingerprints to discourage forgery
    • be of durable paper or plastic or digital identification chips
    • indicate the name of the card holder, usually the head of household
    • indicate the household size or number of individuals who depend on the card holder for their ration
    • break down household members by age groups
    • contain an address, e.g. village, camp sector
    • provide spaces to indicate distributions received
    • have a stated expiry date
    • include accountability information, such as how to make a complaint.
  • Consider issuing identification cards to female heads of households, especially for food commodity distributions, as this acknowledges women’s predominant role as guardians of the household goods in many cultures.
  • Keep blank ration cards in the office safe and inventory periodically to prevent unauthorised issuance (see Annex 19.8 Ration card format).
  • If identity cards are not feasible, issue tokens, books or tickets. For instructions on distribution systems using tokens see Annex 19.9, and section 12.1.1.