Haiti continues to face acute food insecurity and persistent gender inequality, with nearly half of the population unable to meet basic food needs and women disproportionately exposed to economic vulnerability. To address these challenges, the World Food Programme implemented Food Assistance for Assets, a cash-for-work initiative that provides conditional cash transfers linked to the creation of community assets, alongside a tailored version designed to strengthen women’s participation and economic outcomes. A cluster randomized trial conducted across 78 localities evaluated the programme’s effects on household food security and women’s economic empowerment.
The evaluation found that after two implementation cycles, the programme significantly improved household food security and certain financial indicators. The women-targeted variant delivered stronger gender-related outcomes, including higher earnings for women, increased participation in asset-related work, modest improvements in household decision-making power, more positive male attitudes toward women’s use of time, and lower levels of intimate partner violence compared to the standard programme. However, initial participation rates, particularly among women, were low, and a rise in violence during implementation underscored the importance of integrating complementary gender, protection, and social support measures into future cash-for-work and asset-based programmes to ensure both effectiveness and safety.
Haiti is one of the most densely populated countries in the Caribbean and is highly exposed to multiple natural hazards, including cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes, and landslides. Political instability combined with these recurrent shocks has severe economic and social consequences, leaving a large share of the population continuously at risk. Climate change and widespread poverty further intensify household vulnerability, disrupting livelihoods and deepening food insecurity and malnutrition, which continue to undermine efforts to reduce extreme poverty.
By 2025, Haiti is experiencing an acute food insecurity crisis, with nearly half of the population facing hunger. Millions are in emergency conditions, and a smaller but significant number are enduring catastrophic food shortages. Women and girls are disproportionately affected, as the crisis is driven by overlapping factors such as economic instability, climate-related shocks, soaring food prices, and escalating violence. Gang-related insecurity has significantly disrupted food production and distribution, while the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many additional households into severe hunger.
The deteriorating security situation has compounded Haiti’s humanitarian emergency. Widespread gang violence, political uncertainty, and weakened law enforcement have led to mass displacement, restricted access to basic services, and breakdowns in food supply chains. Armed groups now control large areas, limiting humanitarian access and increasing risks for women and children. Haiti’s low rankings in global gender development and gender inequality indices reflect long-standing disparities in health, education, and economic participation.
Women in Haiti face persistent structural inequalities, including limited access to education, health care, and formal employment. Gender-based violence and discrimination remain widespread, and legal protections are weak. Most women work in informal, low-paying jobs and earn significantly less than men, while early marriage remains common. These inequalities heighten women’s vulnerability during food crises and increase exposure to exploitation and violence amid the ongoing humanitarian emergency.
In response, organizations such as the World Food Programme are implementing initiatives to address food insecurity, economic instability, and gender inequality. These include support for local agriculture and markets through programmes that source food locally, alongside nutrition education and gender-sensitive approaches aimed at improving resilience and protecting vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.
To better understand the effectiveness of these interventions, WFP implemented an impact evaluation focused on its Food Assistance for Assets programme in Haiti. The programme combines cash transfers with community asset creation to support food security, household resilience, and women’s empowerment. The evaluation was designed to assess how participation affects resilience outcomes and gender equality, based on the premise that productive work and income support can reduce harmful coping strategies and strengthen women’s economic autonomy.
The evaluation used a rigorous randomized control trial across multiple communities and households, collecting data before, during, and after programme implementation. Quantitative and qualitative data captured changes in food security, income, decision-making, gender norms, and well-being. The findings are intended to inform future cash transfer and resilience programmes in Haiti and similar contexts, contributing to broader global learning on gender equality, food security, and climate resilience.
