Cash and WASH

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities are key to ensure people have access to their basic needs during and after a disaster.

Cash assistance can be used to restore access to Water and Sanitation and restore Hygiene practices of communities. For example, cash assistance can be provided to incentivise the building of latrines or other essential sanitation services, to purchase hygiene products, or to pay for water utilities. Below you can find out more about the work of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in this field, accessing different resources related to cash and wash.

©Corinne Ambler/IFRC

The Cash and Wash Technical Working Group of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, has created a site dedicated to this topic which can be accessed clicking here.

For practitioners interested in the use of cash and voucher assistance to support WASH outcomes, some essential resources can be found on the Global WASH Cluster (GWC) website.

The IFRC Watsan Mission Assistant shares a range of resources related to WASH, which can be accessed clicking here. The Watsan Mission Assistant page dedicated to cash is under development and can be found here.

Key documents:

External resources:

  1. Evidence-building for cash and markets for WASH in emergencies  – Summary of findings (GWC)
  2. Practices in MBP in the Water Sub-sector (GWC)
  3. Practices in MBP in the Sanitation Sub-sector (GWC)
  4. Practices in MBP in the Hygiene sub-sector (GWC)
  5. Practices Related to the use of MPC for WASH Outcomes (GWC)
  6. MBP for WASH Evidence Mapping (GWC)
  7. Cash for latrines (UNHCR)
  8. Cash Based Interventions for WASH Programmes in Refugee Settings (UNHCR)
  9. Market-based Programming in WASH – Technical Guidance for Humanitarian Practitioners (GWC)

17 August 2023

Cash for work to construct and rehabilitate the WASH facilities

Type:

Case study

Organization:

Cash Hub, IFRC

This case study provides an overview of the WASH project and the use of CfW (Cash for Work) to construct and rehabilitate WASH facilities in the camps in Iraq. It…

  • Cash and WASH
  • Middle-East / North Africa

17 August 2023

Token-based cash transfer to support vulnerable families’ access to water

Type:

Case study

Organization:

Cash Hub, IFRC, Kenya Red Cross

This case study provides an overview of a project that set up smart water meters and distributed electronic vouchers as tokens to vulnerable families, allowing them access to safe drinking…

  • Africa
  • Cash and WASH

17 August 2023

CVA for latrines construction during earthquake recovery programme

Type:

Case study

Organization:

Cash Hub, IFRC

This case study provides an overview of the intervention implemented in the WASH earthquake recovery programme. Cash was used and distributed to the earthquake-affected population during recovery and early recovery…

  • Asia-Pacific
  • Cash and WASH

17 August 2023

Cash grants for latrines installation and rehabilitation

Type:

Case study

Organization:

Cash Hub, IFRC

This case study provides an overview of the provision of cash grants to the most vulnerable households for latrines installation and rehabilitation as part of the V2R (Vulnerability to Resilience…

  • Asia-Pacific
  • Cash and WASH

17 August 2023

Cash transfer programme (CTP) in an urban WASH programme

Type:

Case study

Organization:

Cash Hub, IFRC

This case study provides an overview of the intervention in the construction of latrines for low-income communities living in urban slums (proactive crisis) and the use of both cash and…

  • Asia-Pacific
  • Cash and WASH

25 March 2022

Cash and WASH Technical Working Group, 2021 Yearly Report

Type:

Report

Organization:

IFRC

The Cash and WASH Technical Working Group was created in October 2020 represented by members of National Societies, IFRC and ICRC. 2021 was a year of great achievements by all…

  • Cash and WASH