Haiti faces severe food insecurity and gender inequality, with nearly half the population lacking adequate food and women especially vulnerable. WFP’s Food Assistance for Assets (FFA), also referred to as a cash for work programme, provided conditional cash transfers linked to community asset creation, with one variant specifically targeting women. A cluster randomized trial across 78 localities assessed impacts on food security and women’s economic empowerment.
After two cycles, the programme significantly improved household food security and some financial outcomes. Targeting women led to higher women’s earnings, greater participation in asset work, modest gains in decision-making power, improved male attitudes toward women’s time use, and lower intimate partner violence compared to standard FFA. However, participation, particularly among women, was initially low, and increased violence during implementation highlights the need for complementary gender and protection interventions in future programmes.