CVA and COVID-19
We hope that you are all staying well in these uncertain times. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, it seems every community will be touched in some way – whether directly by the virus or by the economic and other impacts it is having.
There has been a significant amount of discussion across the CALP Network on what the pandemic means for the use of CVA and for the operations of CALP members.
Guidance and resources
- The CALP Network live COVID and CVA guidance (available in Arabic, French, Spanish), which summarizes key points from guidance across the different actors of the network and is updated regularly.
- Collection of resources (full list to consult), learning and questions here, thank you for continuing to share!
- Other useful resources and links here below.
Main image credit: Columbia University in the City of New York
Featured content
CVA in COVID-19 Contexts: Guidance from the CALP Network
Guidelines and Tools
This is a summary of the key points from the many resources you shared on CVA and COVID through this document. This is a living document and we will continue to update this summary as new resources are added. The below is intended to help organisations understand and prepare for likely impacts of COVID-19 on their work, consider whether CVA is right for the contexts in which they operate and...
Mercy Corps Tipsheet: COVID-19 and CVA
Guidelines and Tools
This tipsheet serves as guidance to help field teams think through different ways to mitigate the spread and impact of Covid-19 through ongoing cash and voucher assistance (CVA), inform the adaption of CVA programming in the context of Covid-19, and promote sensitivity to changing market dynamics and prices.
This tip sheet is general, but we are ready to work with you to tailor advice to your...
ICRC Tipsheet: Cash and Voucher Assistance and COVID-19
Guidelines and Tools
This tipsheet serves as guidance to help field teams think through different ways:
1) to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 through ongoing Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA);
2) inform the adaptation of CVA in the context of COVID-19;
3) promote sensitivity to evolving markets dynamics.
This tipsheet is inspired by the “Shield & Sword strategy” developed to tackle previous outbreaks such as...
Latest
Adapting Humanitarian Cash Assistance in Times of Covid-19 and Economic Crisis: Comparative Learning from Lebanon and Jordan
Report
This briefing note outlines key lessons that have been learnt in Lebanon and Jordan in adapting humanitarian cash assistance programmes over the past 18 months. The note draws from two briefings: Lebanon’s Pinning Down Moving Targets: adapting humanitarian cash programmes to the multi-pronged crises in...
Brief: Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Uganda
Policy paper
This policy brief presents highlights from the Uganda country case study on the social protection responses to COVID-19. The brief summarizes the key findings and sets out recommendations to strengthen the foundational social protection systems and enhance the ability of the sector to respond to future...
Towards Shock-responsive Social Protection: Estimates from the COVID-19 Microsimulation in Pakistan
Case Study
This report presents the methodology and results of a microsimulation based on a partial equilibrium modelling framework using nationally representative household-level data for Pakistan. The findings include an estimate of the potential impact of COVID-19 on poverty in the country based on a model that...
Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Sierra Leone
Report
Despite the relatively limited restrictions in place in Sierra Leone to contain the spread of COVID-19, the pandemic is likely to have a staggering impact on poverty. This report documents how the Government of Sierra Leone used social protection programmes to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic...
Brief: Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Sierra Leone
Policy paper
This policy brief sets out recommendations to strengthen the social protection sector’s capacity to deliver routine social protection, as well as respond to future shocks more effectively. The recommendations are drawn from key learnings from the country research report and accompanying microsimulation...
Brief: Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Kenya
Policy paper
This policy brief summaries the key findings and recommendations from the Kenya country case study on the social protection responses to COVID-19. The brief provides an analysis of the key enablers and constraints to the effective delivery of the social protection response in Kenya. The brief also...
Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Sierra Leone: Estimate from the microsimulation
Report
This report presents the methodology and results of a microsimulation based on a partial equilibrium modelling framework using nationally representative household-level data for Sierra Leone. The findings include an estimate of the potential impact of COVID-19 on poverty in the country based on a model...
Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Uganda
Report
The stringent lockdown measures and global economic slowdown, due to COVID-19, are likely to have a large impact on poverty in Uganda. This report documents how the Government of Uganda plans to implement an Urban Cash for Work Programme to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on vulnerable populations....
COVID-19 and the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and Conditional Cash Transfers for Education (CCTE) programmes
Guidelines and Tools
FCDO Turkey commissioned SPACE to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the principal cash vehicles active in Turkey: Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and Conditional Cash Transfers for Education (CCTE) programmes, both funded by the EU through the EUR 6 billion Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRiT)...
Inclusive Information Systems for Social Protection: Intentionally Integrating Gender and Disability
Policy paper
Digital information systems serving the social protection sector, and especially social assistance, are increasingly prominent and will continue to be, as is the case within all other sectors. “Why? Because the ability of a country to care for its people and respond to their lifecycle needs depends on...
How Targeting Mechanisms Can Identify People With Disabilities for Inclusion in Social Protection Programmes
Guidelines and Tools
Persons with disabilities have worse education, health and employment outcomes and are more vulnerable to shocks than persons without disabilities. At the same time, they are less likely to be enrolled in social protection programmes, including those for which they are eligible. They can face significant...
Case study: Responsible data sharing with governments
Report
The COVID-19 crisis, widespread economic downturns and the loss of formal and informal employment have all contributed to accelerated linkages between CVA and social protection. Quarantines and lockdowns have also pushed humanitarians to incorporate more digital modalities into their work. As...
Case study: Data responsibility and digital remote targeting during COVID-19
Report
Challenges due to the pandemic have led to all kinds of innovations and adaptations focused on remote targeting, enrolment, verification and delivery. While required for the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, these new approaches might be useful in future responses that require remote targeting and delivery, such...
Brief: Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Ethiopia
Policy paper
COVID-19 and national and international measures to curb its spread, may have pushed 15 million more people below the poverty line in Ethiopia. This policy brief draws on key learnings from the Ethiopia country case study, focused on the social protection response to COVID-19 and identifies...
Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Kenya
Report
The stringent lockdown measures and global economic slowdown, due to COVID-19, are likely to push more than 2 million people into poverty in Kenya. This study documents the Government of Kenya’s social protection response to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic on vulnerable households and...
Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Pakistan
Report
The stringent lockdown measures and global economic slowdown, due to COVID-19, are likely to increase the poverty rate in Pakistan by 35 percentage points in urban areas and 32 percentage points in rural areas. The report documents the Government of Pakistan’s social protection response to mitigate the...
Brief: Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Pakistan
Policy paper
This policy brief draws on key learnings from the Pakistan research report and microsimulation report on the social protection responses to COVID-19. The brief provides analysis of the factors that enabled and constrained the effectiveness of the delivery of social protection in Pakistan and also provides...
Towards shock-responsive social protection: lessons from the COVID-19 response in Bangladesh – Policy brief
Policy paper
This policy brief presents the key findings of the Bangladesh country report, exploring the social protection response to COVID-19 from the Government of Bangladesh. Considering factors that have both helped and hindered the effectiveness of policy responses at various levels, the brief presents...
CAMEALEON rapid field monitoring survey: The impact of the COVID-19 total lockdown on WFP multi-purpose cash recipients in Lebanon
Report
This rapid survey conducted by CAMEALEON gathers top-line insights on the impact of the Covid-19 total lockdown, prohibiting all but essential movement, on multi-purpose cash (MPC) recipients. This includes households’ ability to access and spend their assistance, prepare for the lockdown and meet their...
2020 Cash and Voucher Programming (CVP): Roadmap and milestone achieved
Report
In 2020, World Vision has implemented cash and voucher programming like never before – not least due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related social protection transfer scale-ups. From 2019 to 2020, we have seen a 28 % increase of our cash, voucher based programming, moving towards enabling affected...