Cash and livelihoods

Livelihoods encompass the capabilities, assets and activities required to make a living. Ensuring that vulnerable households have sustainable livelihoods increases their access to a stable income, as well as their dignity, resilience, and ability to be active in society. Livelihoods support helps people affected by crisis to build more sustainable means of living, develop skills and gain greater access to opportunities.

Cash assistance can be an effective way to protect, restore, or enhance livelihoods which enable people to become self-sufficient and improve wellbeing for current and future generations.

Learn about the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in this field by accessing different resources related to cash and livelihoods below.

For more information on livelihoods, visit the Livelihoods Centre, hosted by the Spanish Red Cross and IFRC.

> Click here to find key resources

A wide range of resources on livelihoods programming, including the livelihoods toolbox, can be found on the Livelihoods Resource Centre website, hosted by the IFRC and Spanish Red Cross.
Household Economic Security (HES) guidelines and the accompanying short video that gives an overview of what HES is and how HES findings can be used. These resources are available in English, French and Spanish.
Guidelines on Cash Transfers and Livelihoods based on a learning workshop in Guatemala City.

27 December 2022

A community-led livelihoods approach in flood-prone areas of Bangladesh during COVID19 pandemic

Type:

Case study

Organization:

Bangladesh Red Crescent, IFRC

This case study examines how livelihood support provided by BDRCS and IFRC during COVID19 pandemic has strengthened the target families’ income-generating activities. The families acknowledged that the whole process had…

14 November 2022

Stories of Change: Cash Case Stories from The Philippines

Type:

Case study

Organization:

PCWG, Philippine Red Cross, WFP

Stories of Change: Cash stories from the Philippines Cash Working Group (PCWG) provides insight into the Cash Transfer Programming (CTP) of various humanitarian organisations, including Philippines RC, particularly as a…

13 October 2022

Case study: Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) and livelihoods during COVID 19 pandemic in The Gambia

Type:

Case study

Organization:

Livelihoods Centre, Spanish Red Cross, The Gambia Red Cross

This case study from The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS), in close collaboration with Spanish Red Cross (SpRC), provides insight on the implementation of CVA activities in The Gambia to…

27 September 2022

Micro-entrepreneurship Programmes: Toolkit guidelines

Type:

Guidance

Organization:

Livelihoods Centre

These guidelines aim to help livelihoods practitioners in programming micro-entrepreneurship (ME) interventions, providing them with sequential guidance and tools throughout the different stages of the process, with guidance on cash…

29 July 2022

Tip sheet: Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) in Recovery

Type:

Tip sheet

Organization:

Cash Hub, IFRC

This guidance provides technical tips and considerations to apply when using CVA to support recovery as well as programme examples of when CVA has successfully promoted recovery

24 May 2022

Guidance notes on Cash Transfers in Livelihood Programming – learning workshop in Dakar (Oct 2015)

Type:

Learning

Organization:

CaLP

This documents shares lessons learned on the context in West Africa, makes references to practical examples, and highlights details of cash transfer programmes for livelihoods. These guidance notes are intended…

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