West and Central Africa
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Why you need a plan A, B and C: Using cash in hard-to-reach contexts
Blog Post
Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) can be a valuable response choice in hard-to-reach areas, but it must be properly adapted to context with sufficient investment given to preparedness. Mirko Tommasi explains how preparing multiple plans, being flexible and ready to change plans fast and frequently is crucial for success in challenging contexts.
CVA for people on the move: Time for a new vision?
Webinar recording
This event presented the main findings of our recently released study People are on the move: Can the world of CVA keep up? Analysis of the use of CVA in the context of human mobility in the Americas. Additionally, invited guests discussed key issues on facing the topic of human mobility and CVA and answered questions from the audience. The event included two videos’ interventions: one...
Changes to US and UN economic sanctions may simplify CVA implementation
Blog Post
Recent changes to the UN and US economic sanctions regimes promise to improve cash transfer process across international borders, but changes might not be as quick or comprehensive as we would hope. We put eight questions to Rory Crew, who has looked into the matter for you.
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Impacts of Food Vouchers on Local Markets: Reflections from CRS’ experience in Niger
Report
In mid 2010, CRS-Niger designed and carried out a food voucher program to assist the most needy one-third of households in the departments of Ouallam and Tillabéri due to the poor harvest in 2009 (CRS, 2010). The ADVANCE project was implemented in collaboration with a local NGO partner Association pour...
Examining Differences in the Effectiveness and Impacts of Vouchers and Unconditional Cash Transfers
Report
The objective of this study is to examine the differences in the effectiveness and impacts of vouchers versus unconditional cash transfers in the Bushani camp of the Masisi territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As part of this research, the study team collected household data from over...
FAO Policy on Cash-Based Transfers
Report
This document articulates FAO’s roles with respect to supporting and implementing CTs linked to agriculture and food security in line with the Organization’s mandate and comparative advantages. It is based on FAO’s experience and expertise in supporting CT programming and details various CT...
Non Food Item (NFI) Voucher Fairs in Walikale Territory, North Kivu, DRC (the CALP Network Case study)
Report
In response to a rapid-onset emergency, UNICEF and Solidarités International utilised a cash-based voucher approach in Nyasi and Bobolo villages, in WalikaleTerritory, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As part of a larger multi-province, multi-partner response programme in DRC known as...
E-payments in Emergency Cash Transfer Programming
Guidelines and Tools
This 2-pager summarises some of the main features, benefits and challenges of 4 different electronic payment methods that can be used to deliver cash transfers in an emergency: pre-paid cards, smart cards, mobile money and mobile vouchers. It is drawn from the CALP Network research on New Technologies in...
Maximizing the Value of "Cash for Work": Lessons from a Niger land recuperation project
Report
The good practices in this publication were distilled from a Real Time Evaluation (RTE) of an emergency project in Niger, implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and financed by OFDA that is using cash for work and seed fairs to addres food insecurity in the departments of Ouallam and...
Cash transfer for protection of blanket feeding: Maradi and Tahoua regions
Report
The Project ‘Cash Transfer to Protect Blanket Feeding’ in Niger was launched by UNICEF in June 2010. The Project was a direct response to the growing evidence that blanket supplementary feeding rations distributed to children of 6 to 23 months of age in food insecure communities were consumed by older...
An Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis Study Liberia’s Slow Onset Crisis
Report
In 2010, contested elections in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, and the violence that ensued, forced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes. As of 7th of July 2011, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had counted a total of 153,000 refugees crossing the border into Liberia....
Cash and Child Protection: How cash transfer programming can protect children from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence
Guidelines and Tools
This discussion paper examines the links between cash transfers and the positive and negative outcomes for children – in particular, the role cash transfers have played in protecting children from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence. It aims to identify ways in which cash transfer activities could...
Child Protection Rapid Assessment Toolkit
Guidelines and Tools
The CPRA Toolkit provides all the information you need to conduct a CPRA over a five-week timeframe. The toolkit is divided into three parts: Part 1: a guide to CPRA provides an action plan with 6 key phases, giving guidance for tasks in each phase. Part 2: sample tools provides five key tools for...
The Use of Cash Transfers in Emergencies: A focus on the HoA response strategies
Presentation
A focus on the HOA drought response strategies
Sharing What Works – Working with payment service providers (PSPs)
Report
A handy tool on choosing payment service providers for delivering cash transfers developed by WFP Zambia. Mobile money and m-banking are now providing unprecedented opportunities to enhance programming within the WFP through cash and vouchers delivery mechanisms. Often in this context providers are...
Natural Disasters: What is the role for social safety nets?
Policy paper
This paper makes the case for why safety nets are an important tool for managing the risk of natural hazards. The use of safety nets is advocated both ex ante, to prevent and mitigate the impact of natural disaster and ex post, to cope with the impacts of natural shocks. Firstly, the paper explores the...
Cash Learning Bulletin August 2011
Report
This newsletter includes articles and updates on: Smart cards used for the first time in Zimbabwe cash transfers Philippines cash learning group starts up Technical forum on cash transfers in Kenya & Somalia CALP Ivory Coast cash guidelines and details of forthcoming research for the period.
Cash Transfer Guide for Western Ivory Coast
Report
This document provides locally-adapted guidelines for cash transfer programming for the Western region of Ivory Coast. Developed by the CALP Network focal point in June-July 2011, these guidelines include: Context Stakeholder analysis Challenges & risk management options Response options Assessments &...
Cash-for-Work in Urban Setting: a Guinean experience
Case Study
Action Against Hunger-Spain (ACF-E) is implementing a project to support low-income populations in urban areas of Guinea. This case study focuses on the organization of cash-for-work with a focus on sanitation and more specifically solid waste collection. The project specific objective is to reduce...
Niger: Unconditional cash transfers in Tanout
Case Study
This case study documents the one time unconditional cash transfer programme carried out by the British Red Cross, for households vulnerable to food insecurity, as part of its overall emergency and recovery project following the 2004/5 Food crisis in Niger. It details the context, situational analysis,...
Can you text me now? Mobile money transfer in Niger
Case Study
This case study looks at Concern Worldwide’s ground breaking project using a new mobile money transfer system in Niger, following the severe drought of 2009, to demonstrate the effectiveness of this technology in supporting vulnerable groups to access their basic needs. This very brief document looks at...
Zap It to Me: The Short-Term Impacts of a Mobile Cash Transfer Program
Report
Conditional and unconditional cash transfers have been effective in improving development outcomes in a variety of contexts, yet the costs of these programs to program recipients and implementing agencies are rarely discussed. The introduction of mobile money transfer systems in many developing...
Cash & voucher lessons learned workshop OFDA/ DG ECHO
Report
An overview of discussions of the Cash & voucher lessons learned workshop OFDA/ DG ECHO – Niamey 09 &10 Dec 2010.
