Gender and Inclusion
Gender, age, abilities and other individual or context-specific characteristics present different opportunities and challenges to provide CVA to people in crisis in a dignified manner.
Among humanitarian actors, there is an increasing acknowledgement of the specific needs and constraints of people of differing abilities, older people, people of different genders, particularly women, and people on the move. Alongside this is a growing appreciation of the need for tailored and sensitive measures that ensure their effective inclusion.
Supporting the needs of diverse people with CVA goes beyond making them a target group; it is about meaningful engagement, purposive design and implementation, and programme adjustment to meet different groups’ needs with dignity. Inclusive approaches go hand in hand with people-centred aid.
Current priorities
The CALP Network will continue to encourage cash actors to widen their focus to be more inclusive and champion a fuller understanding of how CVA can go beyond the notion of ‘do no harm’ towards appropriately addressing the needs of diverse people in safe and dignified manners.
We will work to elevate the experiences and initiatives on CVA and gender, disability inclusive CVA, working with different ethnicities and cultural identities, minority groups, people with diverse sexual identities, and age groups.
CALP will also strive to make its work as accessible as possible.
Featured content
Collected Papers on Gender and Cash Transfer Programmes in Humanitarian Contexts
Report
Existing gender inequalities mean that disasters and conflicts impact women, men, girls and boys differently. Cash based assistance is one of the most significant developments in humanitarian assistance in recent years. But the relationship between gender and cash based assistance in humanitarian contexts is poorly understood. All too often, interventions are designed based on assumptions...
Microlearning video: CVA and Gender
Blog Post
This video provides an overview of the relationship between gender and cash and voucher assistance (CVA) structured around the humanitarian project cycle, which include: Assessment and response analysis: How to adjust the assessment processes to achieve a more accurate reflection of gender and markets. Design and implementation: How to use methods and protocols to reduce the potential...
Better Gender Outcomes in Food Assistance through Complementary and Multi-Modal Programing: Promising Practices Tip Sheet
Guidelines and Tools
This Tip Sheet is excerpted from the research report, “Better Gender Outcomes in Food Assistance through Complementary and Multi-Modal programming,” and gives promising practices by the cycles of project cycle management, as well as at the response level. Additionally, there are expert tips and wisdom practices that support the use of a gendered approach in development or humanitarian...
Cash & Voucher Assistance and Gender-Based Violence Compendium
Guidelines and Tools
The Compendium is intended as a companion to the 2015 Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action and its companion resource, the GBV Pocket Guide. The guidance was developed through the efforts of 15 organizations who contributed expertise in the inception, design and review of the document. The process was led...
A Gendered Analysis on Cash for Work Programming in Lahj Governorate
Case Study
Cash for Work (CFW) programmes are designed to help the most vulnerable people meet their essential and basic needs. In Yemen, CFW interventions are responding to an ever-growing proportion of the Yemeni population that are in need of humanitarian assistance. Working with communities in the targeted areas of Hudayda and Lahj, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency SIDA-funded...
How to Promote Gender Equality in Humanitarian Cash and Voucher Assistance
Guidelines and Tools
The use of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) in humanitarian action is increasing rapidly.
With this rise, there is also growing demand by stakeholders to ensure CVA is more gender-responsive, addressing gender gaps and moving towards greater gender equality.
Gender-responsive CVA, which recognizes existing disparities and addresses the needs of all crisis-affected people equally, has the...
Gender-Sensitive Cash and Voucher Assistance: Guidance to ensure the approach in the field
Guidelines and Tools
This guidance builds on CARE’s ambition-via practice, research, evidence on CVA–and aims to support the application of gender sensitive CVA throughout the project cycle and at the response level. It is divided into two sections: – Part A: ‘What has been learned about gender sensitive CVA?,’ briefly explains the recommendations that came from the research. – Part B: ‘How do we...
Enablers and Gaps: Gender Equality, Gender-Based Violence Response and Mitigation in Cash and Voucher Assistance at Response levels: analysis on three case studies
Report
The Gender and Cash Sub-Workstream identified three case studies that illustrate how Cash Working Groups, GBV Sub-Clusters, gender focal points (e.g. Gender in Humanitarian Action Working groups at country and regional level) and humanitarian partnerships can enable meaningful and wider engagement on gender equity and GBV response in CVA. The case studies all show different aspects of linking...
How to mitigate gender-based violence (GBV) risks in cash and voucher assistance (CVA)
Video
Cash and voucher assistance (CVA) is an important tool to help individuals affected by crises get back on their feet. But just like any other form of assistance, it is vital to ensure that it does not fuel tensions in the household or in the community and that it does not create new risks for women and girls. Fortunately, there are a variety of ways that cash actors can work to mitigate risks...
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 its ability to identify those who are in need, enroll them, provide tailored benefits and...
Mainstreaming disability inclusion into humanitarian CVA
Presentation
What is a rights-based approach to disability? How can disability inclusion be mainstreamed to ensure more inclusive and effective CVA humanitarian responses? To answer these key questions, CALP, CBM Global, European Disability Forum and International Organization for Migration (IOM), came together to organize the webinar “Mainstreaming disability inclusion into humanitarian CVA”, with the...
Disability Inclusive Cash Assistance: Learnings from Practice in Humanitarian Response
Guidelines and Tools
This case study collection describes lessons learned from seven inclusive humanitarian cash transfer projects implemented from 2015 – 2020 in Niger, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Indonesia, and five ongoing projects from the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic responses. This good practice collection aims to benefit both humanitarian practitioners engaged in Cash Based Interventions...
Cash and beyond – Analysis of extra costs associated with disabilities and disability-specific social protection in Ukraine, in the aftermath of the Russian invasion
Report
Following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022 and the consequent humanitarian crisis, the country has experienced active fighting and massive displacement, both within and outside its borders. Persons with disabilities and older persons have been facing particularly harsh effects, especially for those with more severe forms of disabilities, who encountered challenges in...
Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Analysis: Rapid review to inform cash programming in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu
Report
There is compelling global evidence that, on average, cash transfers reduce monetary poverty, raise school attendance and use of health services, reduce child labour and increase women’s decision-making power and choices. Cash programming though, is relatively new in Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and it is important that cash transfers are designed and delivered appropriately for the...
Thematic lead
Latest
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...
A Practical Guide to Cash-Based Response
Guidelines and Tools
A Practical Guide to Cash-based Responses is a manual developed by Adeso to share the organisation’s experience in developing and implementing appropriate cash-based responses. The manual highlights some practical problems that are faced by implementation teams around the world and it is intended to...
Cash Transfers in Nairobi’s Slums
Report
In Kenya, a combination of factors led to the food crisis of 2008–9, which put around 9.5 million people at risk of starvation. About 4.1 million of those affected were living in informal settlements (slums) in the capital, Nairobi. Oxfam and Concern Worldwide developed a joint programme to address...
Social Security/Social Protection In Nepal: Situation analysis
Report
The International Labour Conference has outlined several strategies to extend social security by closing coverage gaps and pointed out that effective national strategies should be formed in line with national priorities, administrative feasibility and affordability. The primary goal is to ensure that no...
Impact Evaluation of Cash, Food Vouchers, and Food Transfers among Colombian Refugees and Poor Ecuadorians in Carchi and Sucumbíos
Report
This report is the final impact evaluation of the World Food Programme’s Food, Cash, and Voucher intervention and contains analysis on outcomes including food security, social capital, anemia, and gender issues. Due to the targeting of Colombian refuges and poor Ecuadorians in Northern Ecuador, it also...
Good Practice Review 11: Cash transfer programming in emergencies
Guidelines and Tools
The GPR is intended for humanitarian practitioners who plan and implement emergency responses – both those who are already familiar with cash-based interventions and those who are not. It synthesises cash transfer guidelines, highlights lessons from evaluations and adds practical examples drawn from...
Pakistan Emergency Food Security Alliance: Lessons Learned
Report
In response to the unprecedented scale of flooding that affected Pakistan in July 2010, six INGOs – Save the Children, Oxfam GB, IRC, CARE, ACTED and Action Against Hunger / ACF International – formed the Pakistan Emergency Food Security Alliance (PEFSA). Working together in order to maximize the...
Dawn in the City: Guidance for achieving urban refugee self-reliance
Report
More than 50 percent of refugees live in urban areas. Eighty percent are hosted by developing nations, in cities ill-equipped to guarantee their protection. The majority are marginalized due to their legal, economic and social status. They frequently lack sufficient legal and social...
Gender issues in Cash transfer programmes
Presentation
Purpose of the study: To assess the changes in gender power relations within households and in the community, as a result of emergency cash transfer programmes. To review the processes followed by agencies in emergency cash transfer programming and analyse their adequacy from a gender perspective
Learning from Cash Responses to the Tsunami: Issue Paper 6: Monitoring and Evaluation
Report
This is the last of six issue papers which form part of a project to document learning around cash-based responses to the Indian Ocean tsunami. The project was funded by the British Red Cross, Save the Children UK, Oxfam GB, Mercy Corps and Concern Worldwide. This Issue Paper focuses on the question of...
Preventing Gender-Based Violence, Building Livelihoods: Guidance and tools for improved programming
Guidelines and Tools
Conflict and displacement destroy livelihoods and force people to adopt new strategies to support themselves. New livelihood strategies can increase the risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Women often have no safety net; they usually flee with few resources and little preparation and may become...
Walking the Talk: Cash Transfers and Gender Dynamics
Case Study
Concern Worldwide (Concern) and Oxfam GB (Oxfam) jointly commissioned this report to look at the impacts of cash transfers (CTs) on gender dynamics both within households and communities. This report was commissioned because of the agencies’ concerns that while CTs, now being used in many different...
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 &...
DFID Cash Transfers Literature Review
Report
This paper provides a synthesis of current global evidence on the impact of cash transfers in developing countries, and of what works in different contexts, or for different development objectives. Cash transfers are direct, regular and predictable non-contributory cash payments that help poor and...
CCT Programmes and Women’s Empowerment in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador
Report
Latin America’s efforts to alleviate poverty have resulted in reducing poverty in twelve countries, most strikingly in Mexico and Brazil. The adoption of Cash Transfer programmes in much of the region is credited with helping to bring this reduction about. These programmes are widely promoted as a cost...
Women’s WASH Platforms in Bangladesh and Cambodia
Case Study
Oxfam’s multi-country portfolio is located in more than 100 remote rural communities in six countries and is funded by AusAID’s Civil Society Organisation WASH Fund. The water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects in Bangladesh and Cambodia deliver multiple outcomes including improving water and...
Gender Tip Sheet for UNICEF’s Cash Transfer Programme in the Horn of Africa Crisis
Guidelines and Tools
The content for this note was drawn primarily from Walking the Talk: Cash Transfers and Gender Dynamics, prepared by Carol Brady, commissioned by Concern Worldwide and Oxfam GB, 12 May, 2011. Drafted for UNICEF staff, this note outlines gender-related lessons learned from past CTPs and provides tips on...
Public Health Agencies and Cash Transfer Programmes: Making the case for greater involvement
Policy paper
This report examines the case for greater involvement by public health agencies in cash transfer schemes, a form of welfare assistance. It seeks to identify opportunities, obstacles and actions that might support greater involvement. The issue arises because cash transfer schemes are an increasingly...
Making the Case for Cash: A field guide to advocacy for cash transfer programming
Guidelines and Tools
Because cash transfer programming (CTP) is still a relatively new way of delivering aid, practitioners may often find that they need to be able to make the case for using CTP as well as address fears across different audiences. This guide aims to support field-level advocacy for cash transfer programming....
Case Study: Indonesia – Sumatra 2009
Report
On 30th September 2009 a series of earthquakes struck West Sumatra, not far from the provincial capital of Padang. 13 out of the 19 districts in West Sumatra province were affected. Between earthquakes and landslides nearly 250,000 houses were destroyed or heavily damaged. This case study examines the...