Cash Feasibility Assessment for NorthWest Syria

The objective of this cash feasibility assessment for northwest Syria is to provide evidence-based, structured analysis of the various dimensions that make cash and vouchers interventions feasible. The primary audience for this document are all the organizations either currently involved in cash-based programming in the area or considering doing so. The recommendations involve operational considerations to support programmatic decisions as well as strategic considerations to support advocacy.

To get as comprehensive a picture as possible this assessment will review (1) the context and the conduciveness of the regulatory, political and operational environment to cash-based interventions; (2) the needs of affected populations and the appropriateness of cash-based interventions to meet them; (3) the cultural appropriateness of cash and voucher assistance in northwest Syria and the existing norms and behaviors that could foster or hinder its successful and inclusive implementation; (4) the functioning of local markets and their capacity to absorb cash injections and meet with increased demand; (5) the best practices from cash and voucher programs that have already been implemented in the area; (6) the funding environment for cash-based programming in northwest Syria and the extent to which donors’ strategies are conducive to a scale-up of the cash-based response; (7) the capacity of the humanitarian community to implement cash-based interventions and its potential to scale-up; (8) the existing infrastructures and services that can be used for cash and voucher programming and in particular the available financial service providers and delivery mechanisms; (9) the logistical systems and the partnerships with local organizations that support cash and voucher programs’ operations; finally, (10) the risks – perceived and real – associated with cash and voucher programming in northwest Syria and the risk management measures that help mitigate them.

The methodology for this study combines the desk review of existing documentation, the extensive use of a variety of key informants (90+), the analysis and cross-validation of secondary data as well as relevant comparisons with similar contexts. The views presented in this document result from a collaborative work involving a large number of stakeholders of the cross-border response to northwest Syria.