Cash and Voucher Programming in COVID-19, Lessons Learnt from Asia Pacific

COVID-19 has left an indelible adverse impact on all aspects of life not just health but also on livelihood, food security, protection, and many others. After the WHO declared a global pandemic in March 2020, World Vision mindfully scaled up its response to support most vulnerable households through multi-sectoral approaches. In 2020, WV maximised the use of Cash and Voucher Programming (CVP) to reach those in need across Asia Pacific. In the face of significant expansion of CVP in Asia Pacific Field Offices, Asia Pacific Humanitarian Emergency Affairs (APHEA) team initiated a study to capture lessons learned and document the experience of CVP implementation during COVID-19 response. The objective of the study was to explore the scope of efficiency, relevance and coherence of cash and voucher programming in the region.
This study focuses on CVP achievements and challenges in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Laos. The learnings are compared and analysed to generate recommendations, which could be used to strengthen CVP practice in the region and countries.