On 15 July 2020, cash experts from the British Red Cross, the Afghan Red Crescent Society, the Gambian Red Cross Society, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, and the Livelihoods Resource Centre led the 6th Cash Hub Webinar undertaken jointly with the Livelihoods Resource Centre on livelihoods and household economic security.
Andra Gulei, Senior Food Security and Livelihoods Advisor at the British Red Cross, informed the participants of the three pillars of Household Economic Security: survival threshold, basic needs, and livelihoods protection. It was highlighted how many National Societies (NSs) are supporting ‘basic needs’ through Cash and Vouchers (CVA), as empowering people receiving assistance to choose how best to support themselves. Additionally, it was stressed that to support an individual’s basic needs, the link with livelihoods was stressed as something that is required to support people’s basic needs or when people do not have income they cannot meet their basic needs in future without assistance.
Asadullah Sediqi, DRR and Livelihoods Coordinator at the Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), explained the way COVID-19 exacerbated health and socio-economic issues and ARCS’s response, which has been implementing Livelihoods Recovery and Development programmes pre and post COVID-19. ARCS has been working on a women’s empowerment project targeting 871 households and one of the micro-businesses that the has come out of this has included a facemask production business. Additionally, the ARCS has targeted 50,000 individuals to receive in-kind food assistance and 25,000 households to receive unconditional CVA for basic needs.
Buba Darboe, Head, Disaster Management and Food Security at the Gambian Red Cross Society, discussed an on-going CVA-related project assisting households to meet basic needs. Businesses and labourers impacted by COVID-19 have been included, alongside women-headed households, refugees, migrants, asylum seekers and stateless people. Darboe continued informing participants that pressure on households caused by food costs and limited income has increased gender-based violence since the lockdown began.
Mike Ovsiannikov, CVA Focal Point at the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS), described their standard livelihoods programme targeting IDPs to start/restore their source of income. Additionally, Ovsiannikov discussed how, because of COVID-19, the URCS is no longer using the post office for CVA and how they have partnered with local authorities to investigate how COVID-19 has impacted the economy). Targeting was identified as a difficult task, specifically in relation to the scoring of vulnerability and the evaluation of business plans.
Adrianna Estrada, from the Livelihoods Resource Centre, described the function of the Centre in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Centre have produced practical tip sheets dealing with much needed programming advice. Additionally, they are launching a tool to help staff consider different livelihood response options, which allows them to take into consideration outputs and objectives. Tips on how to undertake response options are also included.
To register for upcoming webinars, visit the Events page of the Cash Hub platform regularly.
To watch the recording of this webinar please click here. More resources related to CVA and COVID-19 can be found on the Cash and COVID-19 dedicated section, while recordings and resources from past webinars can be found on the Cash Hub and COVID-19 Webinar Series page.
On the 1st of July 2020 the British Red Cross, the Kenyan Red Cross, the Bangladesh Red Crescent, and the ICRC led the 5th Cash Hub Webinar on Community Engagement & Accountability (CEA) and Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA). This Webinar was run jointly by the Cash Hub and the CEA Hub.
Sophie Everest, Community Engagement & Accountability Advisor at the British Red Cross, began the webinar discussing how both CEA and CVA are about helping people overcome crisis with dignity, and CVA must be paired with effective 2-way communication and trust to enable this to happen. However, CEA is not always high on the list of priorities and COVID-19 is producing further barriers to engaging with communities.
Fredrick M. Orimba, CVA Focal Point of the Department of Disaster Management at the Kenyan Red Cross, explained how due to COVID-19 many livelihoods have been impacted. Loss of income has meant that CVA for basic needs has been identified as an increasingly appropriate response option. The Kenya CWG developed a minimum expenditure basket (MEB) for COVID-19, based on the pre-COVID-19 interim MEB, which was created through local consultation with communities and assessments of local markets. Mobile money transfers are the preferred cash transfer mechanism due to the high amount of mobile-phone use, and more details of the KRCS’ experience with mobile transfers were shared with participants. Additionally, it was revealed how the KRCS retrieves data from assessments, creates their selection criteria, and the various channels used to receive feedback (pre and post-COVID-19).
Monira Parvin, CEA Manager at the Bangladesh Red Crescent, informed participants on the history of the BRCS’ use of CVA and CEA, and shared information on key partners and platforms that have been used to help distribute cash. Regarding community participation, Parvin discussed programme practices performed before COVID-19, while outlining the major changes occurring because of the pandemic such as remote briefings of volunteers who are based in affected communities using technology. There is an interest in developing a digital cash preparedness platform to reach less-accessible communities, as mobility during the pandemic is proving to be difficult.
Indu Nepal, Community Engagement Lead at the ICRC, listed issues the ICRC is facing regarding delivering CVA and community engagement during COVID-19; contested spaces, unmet expectations, use of digital tools, limited feedback channels and unpredictability in accessing conflict areas. Additionally, exclusion has been identified as a challenge exacerbated by COVID-19. To carry out community engagement, the ICRC is communicating with community leaders or individuals with phones. Older community members have been identified as not only more vulnerable to COVID-19, but also to the exclusion effects produced by the use of greater technology in the pandemic and the ICRC has had to make extra efforts to connect with these vulnerable individuals.
To register for upcoming webinars, visit the Events page of the Cash Hub platform regularly.
To watch the recording of this webinar you can click here, while more resources related to CVA and COVID-19 can be found on the Cash and COVID-19 dedicated section.
Original article on LinkedIn, written by Sophie Everest.
When the conditions are right, cash can be a more appropriate and effective approach than other, more traditional, forms of in-kind assistance. Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) can put more decision-making power in the hands of the communities we serve, helping people to overcome crisis with dignity. Cash recipients are generally more positive about the extent to which their needs are met than those receiving only in-kind aid.[1] Promoting choice and enhancing dignity of affected people is therefore rooted in CVA programming, but this can only be achieved if cash distributions are coupled with 2-way communication and trust.
Data has shown an increase in the use of cash during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is undoubtedly good news, as aid organisations recognise the merits of using CVA to respond to the complex secondary impacts of Covid-19 on the lives of vulnerable people. However, we are still hearing that Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) is not always high on the list of priorities. With traditional forms of face-to-face community engagement no longer an option, or at least limited due to social distancing guidelines and lockdown restrictions, there are more barriers than ever to engaging meaningfully with vulnerable people. However, we must recognise that prioritising community engagement will enhance the dignity and empowerment that underpin CVA. We cannot promote the effectiveness and appropriateness of CVA if we fail to consider the extent to which the programme has been accountable.
There are many actors finding practical and creative ways to get feedback and ensure the participation of communities during the pandemic. The Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is uniquely placed to do just this due to our network of community-based volunteers whose proximity to, and local understanding of, the communities we serve is unparalleled.
In Kenya, CVA is being scaled up to respond to Covid-19. The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) has extensive experience in engaging with local communities and ensuring their participation in programme decision making. Community consultations showed that mobile money transfers, using a service called MPESA, is the preferred modality for cash transfers as it is locally available, highly trusted and makes cash delivery easily accessible. As the cash is transferred digitally over a mobile phone it’s also an ideal modality during Covid-19. KRCS covers the transfer cost and ensures that those who do not own a mobile phone are able to use a trusted proxy to receive the cash on their behalf. Selection criteria for cash distributions are disseminated through trusted channels, including radio and TV, to ensure communities understand who has been selected and why. Those who feel they meet the criteria but have been missed from the recipient list can call the complaint hotline to have their case considered.
In Bangladesh, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) relies on the participation and feedback of community members to ensure CVA targets the most vulnerable people with appropriate and effective assistance. Indeed, as a result of community feedback received, a private breastfeeding corner is now set up at every cash and voucher distribution site to support mothers and their infants. When complaints were received that one of the partner banks was not allowing cash recipients to withdraw cash at the agreed date and time, BDRCS took the issue to the banks’ branch management and had it resolved. When cash recipients said that they did not have the information they needed to establish small businesses with the cash they were receiving, BDRCS decided to share contact information, advice and guidance on how to engage with governmental departments such as the fisheries, agricultural and livestock offices. These improvements are a direct result of listening to the communities and acting on the feedback received. Not only does this help to make CVA more effective and appropriate, it is also critical to building and maintaining trust with the communities we serve.
These examples are only a small snapshot of the work being done by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to ensure the participation of local communities in programme decision making during Covid-19. Thanks to the Cash Hub – an initiative to scale-up the use of cash in the Movement- we had the opportunity to hear more examples of Cash and CEA best practice in Covid-19 responses from the Bangladesh Red Crescent, the Kenya Red Cross and the ICRC in a recent webinar. You can watch the Webinar recording here.
[1] Humanitarian Voice Network, ‘Changing the perspective: what recipients think of cash and voucher assistance’, Dec 2019, https://humanitarianvoiceindex.org/policy-briefs/2019/12/04/changing-the-perspective-what-recipients-think-of-cash-and-voucher-assistance
On 17th June 2020, cash experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), British Red Cross (BRC), Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and The Netherlands Red Cross St. Maarten participated in the 4th Cash Hub Webinar on Cash and COVID-19. This online event offered a platform to discuss how the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is adapting its Cash and Voucher (CVA) strategy in response to COVID-19, from a data and digital technology perspective.
Joseph Oliveros (IFRC) shared a brief analysis of the consequences of COVID-19, which are pushing forward digital transformation to cope with the pandemic. Data is essential in CVA, and so tools and strategies are being tailored to meet this new context. Joseph reminded participants that it is not only about data but individual competencies of those managing the data.
Muhammed Amin (Pakistan Red Crescent Society), highlighted the benefits of Red Rose and how it is being used for disaster response in Pakistan. Amin explored how COVID-19 has incentivised the use of mobile money for PRCS. Additionally, in the last 4 years their CVA team has moved away from paper-based data collection, to Red Rose and ODK, which are providing ‘clean, error-free, and timely data’.
Peter Mujtaba and Jenny Harper from the British Red Cross (BRC) provided information on the Hardship Fund, a domestic UK programme targeting 13,000 people with assistance in response to the COVID-outbreak. The whole system has been setup remotely from BRC, through Zoom calls, telephone calls and email exchanges. Capacity building was conducted remotely enabling a dispersed workforce, which was under lockdown restrictions, to use Red Rose effectively.
Fernando Suárez Jiménez from the Netherlands Red Cross St. Maartens discussed the challenges that COVID-19 is presenting to CVA and informed participants on plans for staff and volunteer’s capacity building through the IFRC’s learning platform and specific CVA courses.
To register for upcoming webinars, visit the Events page of the Cash Hub platform regularly.
To watch the recording of this webinar you can click here, while more resources related to CVA and COVID-19 can be found on the Cash and COVID-19 dedicated section.
Original article on Devex, written by Caroline Holt
“Jobs are being lost. The restrictions on movement that are keeping people safe from the coronavirus are often damaging or destroying their livelihoods and their ability to feed and care for their families. Around the world, the most vulnerable people are facing a stark and possibly deadly choice: Do they risk contracting COVID-19, or risk not feeding their families?
As humanitarians, how can we help prevent families from having to make this impossible choice?
In Turkey, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or IFRC, and the Turkish Red Crescent surveyed some 500 Syrian refugees being supported by our programs. We found that 69% have lost their jobs, their expenses have skyrocketed, and their biggest concern is how they will feed themselves and their families. More than half of these households are borrowing money to cover their most basic needs — including food.
Right now, vulnerable communities across the world need extra support quickly, safely, and reliably. Due to the scale of this crisis, there is a very diverse range of groups and individuals being badly affected, and their needs are equally diverse. We must be able to provide flexible support that can adapt to these different needs.
Delivering cash to the people in most need and in close coordination with national social protection systems is the most appropriate way to respond to the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 around the world.
We all know and talk about the benefits of cash, especially now in these difficult times. Yet the latest estimates suggest that less than 20% of humanitarian relief is currently delivered through cash programming.
The immense impact of COVID-19 is a wake-up call for us to change this. There is no better time to tap into the power of cash as a critical link between economies and households, and it can become a lifeline for millions of people globally.
The current pandemic has shown us that without health, there is no economy. It also shows us that without access to financial support, it is harder for people to reduce health risks or recover their health once lost.
Giving cash to people facing crisis helps address a wide range of needs — from rent, food, and education to hygiene items that help prevent diseases from spreading or encourage access to health care. It allows them to prepare, prioritize, and take care of their families, based on their own preferences and decisions. By alleviating the stresses on families struggling to meet their basic needs, we can help them avoid negative coping mechanisms that could put them at further risk of COVID-19.
Cash programming allows us to respond rapidly and at scale while still protecting the people we serve, our staff, and our volunteers in communities around the world. Through the European Union-funded Emergency Social Safety Net program, Turkish Red Crescent and IFRC are providing monthly cash assistance to more than 1.7 million refugees. Transferring funds through this existing infrastructure can allow us to rapidly respond and adapt to current needs and provide additional assistance when needed at a massive scale. […]”.
To read the full article visit Devex clicking here.
On 3rd June 2020, cash experts from the British Red Cross (BRC), the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC), the Montserrat Red Cross (MRC), and the Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross (BERC) led the 3rd Cash Hub Webinar on Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and COVID-19, with a focus on social protection linkages.
David Peppiatt, Director of the Humanitarian Cash Assistance Programme at the BRC, opened the webinar introducing potential linkages between social protection, humanitarian assistance, and CVA. The strategic relevance of National Societies (NSs) in this context, due to their role as auxiliaries to the government and their strong local networks, was also highlighted. To conclude David stressed how the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 has led governments to expand and adapt their social protection measures, and NS should be looking at how CVA can have synergies with these programmes.
Orhan Hacimehmet, Cash-Based Assistance Coordinator at the Turkish Red Crescent, presented the example of the Emergency Social Safety Net programme (ESSN), led by TRC which is providing social protection assistance in collaboration with the government. He also mentioned the Conditional Cash Transfers for Education Programme delivered via Kizilaykart (a debit card used by TRC), which provides social protection assistance to the refugee population. Orhan stressed the importance of relevant data and the role played by TRC in putting in place an information management system, integrated with several institutions, which allows multiple and simultaneous cash programmes (many related to social assistance) to be delivered, through card systems.
Glenn Francis, Director of Montserrat Red Cross, explained how in response to the effects of a stalled economy the government has been distributing food packages and the Red Cross is proposing to top-up with vouchers to provide assistance for large families (especially those with children). To allow this to work, the government asked people receiving support permission to share data gathered from social services activities with the MRC – the data received was used to check that the beneficiaries met the selection criteria.
Danger Nhlabatsi and Siphelele KB Mkhonta, National Disaster Management Coordinators at the Baphalili Eswatini Red Cross, discussed how pre-COVID19, the government was providing social protection payments to the elderly and disabled people, mostly through a cash-in-envelope transfer mechanism on a quarterly basis. Due to the restrictions on movement and assembly, the government tapped into the knowledge of BERCS CVA to look at another transfer mechanism to replace their normal cash-in-envelope social protection programme and decided to adopt mobile money, in line with BERCS experience.
Marga Ledo, BRC CVA/HES Roster Delegate and formerly IFRC Linking CVA and Social Protection lead, described the different modes of linkage between NS CVA and Social Protection such as vertical and horizontal expansion, piggybacking and design tweaking. She also introduced the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s new Cash and Social Protection Technical Working Group (TWG) that will remain in place for 2 years. This is a key development for the Movement, as there are currently over 180 countries delivering COVID-19 related support through social protection systems and many NSs are playing a key role as auxiliaries to the government.
To register for upcoming webinars, visit the Events page of the Cash Hub platform regularly.
To watch the recording of this webinar you can click here, while more resources related to CVA and COVID-19 can be found on the Cash Hub and COVID-19 webpage dedicated to the Webinar Series.
On 6th May 2020, cash experts from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and British Red Cross (BRC) joined forces to launch the Cash Hub Webinar Series on Cash and COVID-19. These online events share the objective to discuss how the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is adapting to COVID-19, from a Cash and Voucher (CVA) perspective. To register to the webinars, visit the Events page of Cash Hub platform regularly.
Panellists representing the IFRC, ICRC and the British Red Cross covered a wide range of topics, from the Cash Helpdesk for the Movement, to ICRC tips to adapt to the current crisis and the role of cash preparedness for NSs. Emma Delo (Cash & Markets Technical Team Manager, British Red Cross) opened the webinar with a reflection on the role of CVA across the Movement, and its capacity to contribute to maintaining functioning markets. Emma reminded participants that the Cash Helpdesk can provide remote technical advice in Spanish, English, Arabic and French to National Societies using CVA and wishing to scale-up their operations, facing problems in adapting or interested to explore the use of this tool.
Alexandre Gachoud (Cash & Market Specialist, EcoSec Unit, ICRC) shared an overview of the ICRC Tipsheet, created to provide guidance on mitigating risks related to COVID19 and CVA, inform the adaptation of CVA in the context of COVID-19, and promote sensitivity to evolving market dynamics. He offered examples of using the the tipsheet in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Yemen and Gaza such as hand washing and disinfections at local bank branches, social distancing during the collections of cards, avoiding thumb prints while giving away pens used to sign with, and switching to mobile money.
Caroline Holt (Manager Global Cash Transfer Programming, IFRC) explained the role of the IFRC in supporting the preparedness of 192 national societies, building their skills to deliver assistance through cash. She highlighted how COVID-19 is impacting cash distribution for the IFRC, and why the global strategy is still relevant and will continue to go forward, even if – in some respects – it will adapt. Some practical changes were shared in the context of the Philippines, Georgia, Rwanda, and Turkey. Overall, Caroline stressed the importance to continue investing in localisation, as NSs will remain the forefront of the response and retain their ability to catalyse positive change offering assistance to people affected by the crisis.
To watch the recording of this first webinar, click here. If you wish to read the main takeaways summarised by the moderator, David Dalgado (Cash&COVID19 Technical Specialist), click here.
The first webinar was attended by over 150 participants, which shared with the panellists several key questions. While some were tackled during the event, some were followed up in writing. The full list of Questions and Answers can be found here. A separate document with a detailed response from the Livelihood Resources Centre on “Targeting Entrepreneurs” can be found here.
For more resources related to CVA and COVID-19, visit the Cash Hub platform Cash and COVID-19 dedicated section.
On 20th May 2020, cash experts from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society and the Lebanese Red Cross Society led the 2nd Cash Hub Webinar from Cash and COVID-19 series. Speakers discussed Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) operational adaptations, challenges and plans from their respective societies.
Tinomutenda Maposa, from the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, began by stressing that pre-COVID Zimbabwe was already affected by food insecurity. During the lockdown linked to COVID-19, however, prices increased by 50%, causing further intensification of food insecurity issues. Additionally, the ZRCS shared their experience of partnering with an FSP to use mobile money, as this modality is better suited to protect vulnerable staff, volunteers and people affected by the crisis during the COVID-19 outbreak. Value Vouchers have been prioritised over Commodity Vouchers because it allows beneficiaries to take advantage of subsidised foods, making sure the money they receive can be stretched to cover more needs. Moreover, Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) and Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) activities are being undertaken remotely, primarily through mobile phone communication.
Maysa Ibrahim, from the Lebanese Red Cross Society (LRCS), informed the participants that pre-COVID-19 Lebanon had been facing multiple crises such as the Syrian Refugee Crisis and Palestinian Refugee Crisis. More recently there have also been economic, monetary and sanitary crises. Maysa shared an update on the two different CVA targeting mechanisms used in Lebanon. For Syrian Refugees, registration is undertaken with the support of UNHCR. For Lebanese or unregistered Syrian refugees, there are a hotline and an in-house assessment that are used to identify a vulnerability score, allowing people to apply for CVA according to it. The LRCS Disaster Management Field Centres are another avenue that people can avail of to go through an in-house assessment. Additionally, because of price increases the current Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB), created in 2017, is out-of-date and the 175 USD a month purchasing power has decreased. Furthermore, difficulties in withdrawing cash via the ATMs has produced tensions in the communities.
To register for upcoming webinars, visit the Events page of the Cash Hub platform regularly.
To watch the recording of this webinar you can click here, while more resources related to CVA and COVID-19 can be found on the Cash Hub and COVID-19 webpage dedicated to the Webinar Series.
The Training Working Group has recently launched the new Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Technical Competency Framework along with a range of supporting resources, to help make the framework operational by those managing CVA deployments. These tools were developed to ensure a consistent and competency-based approach to the recruitment, selection and learning and development of CVA positions. These new resources have been published in the Learning Resources section here.
For recruitment, deployment selection, performance management and skills development.
Sample questions and examples of specific CVA knowledge and experience.
The CVA capacity Self-Assessment form is a tool for those who want to assess their CVA capacity and readiness to deploy on surge. This tool should be used to identify key skills and development needs, and is therefore a preliminary step towards shaping the ideal Learning Pathway to acquire all the CVA specific technical competencies for a CVA Officer or CVA Coordinator Role Profile.
If you wish to discover more learning resources visit the Training and Development section. To find out more about the Cash Peer Working Group download the Membership Pack or visit its dedicated webpage on the Cash Hub platform.
BY Basile Rambaud, Cash and Markets Technical Adviser, Cash and Markets
On top of having an impact on the health of people around the world, the crisis caused by COVID-19 will also have a huge direct and indirect impact on their economic resilience and livelihoods. New strict measures are already restricting the economic activities of at least half the world’s population. Even in high income countries, with strong social safety nets, the most marginalised people are already experiencing significant loss of income sources. The economic impact on households will be even greater, where the informal sector takes a big role in the economy and in states where social protection systems are fragile. According to CaLP: “[…] as we saw in the West Africa Ebola epidemic, the economic impacts caused more deaths than the disease itself”.
To respond to this loss of income and to continue to meet their basic needs people are already being forced to adopt negative coping strategies with some that are likely to have an irreversible effect on their resilience and livelihoods. These include for example reducing meals, reducing funds available for education and selling productive assets.
How can CVA help?
Multi-purpose cash can help to facilitate ongoing access to key basic services such as health, education and water (either through maintaining access or supporting indirect costs such as transport and fees) and to protect people’s livelihoods while reducing the use of negative and irreversible coping strategies. These could have a long-term impact months or years after the crisis, and it is key to offer people timely support
Importantly, cash also provides a lower risk of transmission to staff, volunteers and communities, with digital payments (mobile money, e-vouchers, bank transfers, pre-paid cards, etc.) as a solution to deliver assistance.
Cash is also a particularly agile tool that can be adapted to each specific context, with the possibility to redefine the frequency of the transfers and amounts to mitigate the risks of contamination.
Can markets cope with the crisis?
We are seeing already that markets are adapting and responding to the crisis, particularly at the local level. Supply chains are still functioning, and as long as the demand is there, markets will be able to respond sometimes in new and innovative ways. Where this is not the case, in selected contexts cash can be an enabler to help markets to kick start by working directly with retailers and wholesalers, supporting the flow of information, or facilitating the introduction of market-based interventions and even vouchers.
Of course, cash is not a silver bullet on its own but should be used as a major complementary component to health and sanitation interventions when possible. Where done early, provision of cash will protect the coping capacity and economic resilience of people, and reduce the indirect impact of the crisis on vulnerable households as well as contain the longer-term impact on the economy.