The Crisis in the Sahel – Special Feature

The special feature of this issue of Humanitarian Exchange focuses on the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel region of Africa, where aid agencies estimate that more than 18 million people are affected by food insecurity. In response to this crisis, cash and vouchers programming has been largely used.

In this issue, several articles examine various aspects of cash-based interventions in the Sahel as well as outside of the region.

In “Cash transfers and vulnerability in Niger”, Jeff Woodke, Director of JEMED, explains how cash-for-work is being used in Niger to build resilience and restore drought affected lands. Another article examines the Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis that was used to assess the cereal markets in Bahr El Gazar and Kanem in Chad, to determine if a cash-based response would be appropriate given the price increase of staple food.

In Somalia, Catherine Longley, Sophia Dunn and Mike Brewin summarise the findings of a monitoring report of one of the largest cash programmes ever implemented by NGOs. The final article of the issue relates the corruption risks in Kenya’s 2011 drought response and concludes by advocating for a collective focus on corruption.