2024 Alumni CPDP Blog: Flavia Fernandez Silva’s story 

The continuation of this blog series will focus on the highlights from the recent Alumni of the 2024 Cash Practitioner Development Programme, allowing practitioners to share what they have learnt and experienced during their Cash School learning deployments.

The Cash Practitioner Development Programme aims to expand the ready pool of cash experts available to deliver humanitarian cash assistance, and to strengthen the community of qualified practitioners with up-to-date skills in all areas of cash assistance. Cash deployments are a key element of participants learning schedules, these deployments aim to enhance skills and confidence in implementing cash based assistance. Some deployments are run in partnership with NORCAP, with practitioners accessing deployment opportunities from a range of humanitarian agencies.

What was your experience with cash prior to undertaking the CPDP training program? 

I have worked in a support function at the headquarters level, supporting CashCap experts in their missions around the world. Although I have been with the team for four years, my experience had always been very peripherical and theoretical. Before that, I had also worked with Caritas in Brazil, which had a cash-in-envelop programme for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers. 

What motivated you to pursue the CPDP program and expand your knowledge in cash operations?

I wanted to understand better the work the CashCap experts. How to carry out the work and to be in a stronger position to able to better support them, as well as to contribute more meaningfully to the strategic and thematic decisions in the team. I would also like to join other missions within the movement as a delegate, and the CPDP has been key in capacitating me for that.  

Where did you go during your deployment phase?

I first had one remote deployment with the Cash Centre for Excellence, hosted by the Lebanese Red Cross. There, my work focused on supporting the development of an advocacy plan for the region, as well as support with punctual advocacy activities such as guidelines and videos. My second deployment was in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, the state which was severely affected by floods in 2024. There, the IFRC implemented the largest cash programme in the region, and I joined them at the last stages, where the focus was to liaise with communities, organise and attend registration events, manage the database and conduct the payments. 

Can you share a particularly memorable or rewarding experience from your time in the CPDP program?

The most rewarding experiences are always the people we meet and the stories they share. In Brazil, I met two great organisations, one fighting for the rights of people affected by dams, with direct support and outreach to the population as well as with high levels of government, and another providing training in construction for women. The people working in these organisations have an incredibly inspirational drive, in spite of all the hardships they have been through, as they were all also personally affected. 

What advice would you offer to someone just beginning the CPDP program? 

Stay flexible and proactive, you might end up learning way more than you signed up for. 

How do you feel your career has progressed since completing the program? 

I feel more confident to engage in strategic discussions within CVA, as I have built a larger understanding of what a cash transfers programme consists of. I have also met lots of cash professionals within the movement, and I believe this will open many doors, both for myself personally, but also to further the partnerships between CashCap/NORCAP and the RCRC movement. 

What trends or developments do you anticipate in the future of cash?

I see a great opportunity for cash in the context of the humanitarian reset and all the changes taking place. The work being done with CVA so far has been able to build solid foundations, with strong evidence of the benefits of cash, whose efficiency is especially important in this context. It can continue empowering people in a moment where aid might not be always readily available, building their resilience against future shocks. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your CPDP journey?

I feel very privileged for having being part of this journey, and I hope this programme can continue expanding, and maybe inspire similar ones in different areas. It’s something I’ve already recommended to colleagues I met along the way, and I would love to remain engaged with the community I’ve built.