Cash practitioners development programme

Prisca Waluza Chisala

Prisca is currently working with IFRC as a regional coordinator, Early Warnings Early Actions for Africa from her previous role as Director of Programmes and Development at the Malawi Red Cross Society, which was her entry point into the CPDP.

• Read Prisca’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience
• Watch Prisca’s interview about the CPDP experience
• Read Prisca’s post-deployment CPDP research report

Flavia Fernandez Silva 

My name is Flavia, I’m from Brazil and have worked for the past 4 years with CashCap/NORCAP. My role here has been to provide support to cash experts going on mission to various places in the world, and I have joined the Cash School so I could learn firsthand what cash experts work with. I’m interested in cash advocacy and data management, which were two areas I learned a lot from my participation in the Cash School.  

• Read Falvia’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience
• Watch Falvia’s interview about the CPDP experience
• Read Flavia’s post-deployment CPDP research report

Dante Moses

Dante Moses is a Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) Specialist working within the Americas region and serving as the CVA Focal Point for the Dominica Red Cross Society. He has completed seven deployments within the Movement, most recently supporting within CVA Finance in the Ukraine and impacted countries response. Dante provides ongoing support to Caribbean National Societies with their CVA responses and has a strong interest in anticipatory action and advancing cash readiness. 

• Read Dante’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience
• Watch Dante’s interview about the CPDP experience
• Read Dante’s post-deployment CPDP research report

Reem Jawhari

My name is Reem Jawhari, a humanitarian professional specialising in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) programming, with experience across the MENA region and in international deployments. I currently serve as the MENA Cash Centre of Excellence Technical Focal with the IFRC hosted by the Lebanese Red Cross, supporting National Societies in enhancing their CVA preparedness and response capacities through assessments, peer-to-peer exchanges, mentoring programs, webinars, and more. 

• Read Reem’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience
• Watch Reem’s interview about the CPDP experience
• Read Reem’s post-deployment CPDP research report

Burak Akar

Burak Akar currently serves as Senior CVA Officer at the IFRC Türkiye Delegation and brings several years of professional experience in humanitarian programming, specialising in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). With Cash School, he was, first, deployed to Laos PDR to support the Laos Red Cross in initiating FSP tendering process and second, to Lithuania, to co-facilitate the Lithuanian Red Cross’ CVA SOP workshop.

• Read Burak’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience
• Watch Burak’s interview about the CPDP experience
• Read Burak’s post-deployment CPDP research report

Azra Bričić

Azra is a seasoned humanitarian professional with over 15 years of experience leading large-scale emergency and recovery programs, specializing in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). As the national CVA focal point for the Red Cross Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina, she has directed CVA initiatives reaching over 30,000 beneficiaries and managing multi-donor budgets exceeding EUR 3.5 million annually. She holds advanced certifications including CPDP (Cash Hub), PHAP CVA, IMPACT, PECT, MAAT, and RAM, and has led national coordination as founder and coordinator of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Cash Working Group (BiH CWG). Azra has co-led regional CVA strategies, developed institutional CVA preparedness tools, and trained humanitarian actors globally, including for Qatar Red Crescent. Her deployments include IFRC Turkiye’s earthquake response and flood response in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Known for her expertise in financial management, procurement, and donor compliance, she is recognised for ethical leadership, operational excellence, and a collaborative, results-driven approach.

• Read Azra’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience
• Watch Azra’s intervew about the CPDP experience
• Read Azra’s post-deployment CPDP research report

Abdoulaye Diarra

Abdoulaye Diarra is a Malian humanitarian professional with growing expertise in cash and voucher assistance (CVA). Through the CPDP program, he transitioned from implementation-focused roles to strategic coordination, notably supporting CVA capacity building in Guinea. His journey reflects a commitment to innovation, collaboration, and advancing digital solutions in humanitarian aid. 

• Read Adboulaye’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience

Daniela Funez

Daniela Funez serves as the Regional Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Coordinator for IFRC in the Americas. She supports National Societies in strengthening their CVA capacity through surge deployments, training, and preparedness initiatives. As part of her Cash School learning, she deployed to Poland to support the facilitation team for a RAM training and provided remote assistance to National Societies on engaging with Global Financial Service Providers for CVA programming and CVA Preparedness.

• Read Daniela’s blog to learn more about the CPDP experience

Bulent Ozturk

Bulent is CVA Manager at the IFRC Ankara office to support them on EQ response. He was CVA Coordinator at IFRC for Ukraine operations and he has more than 20 years experience related to disaster management and cash projects previously at Turkish Red Crescent. His Cash School deployment was to Ukraine.

Daniel Wanyoike

Daniel is Program Manager at British Red Cross and he has more than 12 years experiences related to cash project management, data management, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning. He deployed for Nepal as CVA Delegate to as a part of his deployment process of cash school.

Michael Belaro

Michael recently joined the CALP Network as the Asia-Pacific Regional Representative, following 3 years as the IFRC Regional Coordinator. Michael has more than 15 years of experience related to cash operations and disaster management. During the Cash School, he was deployed to the Whole of Syria response with CashCap and the Philippines.

Shubhadra Devkota

Shubhadra is  Program Coordinator in Nepal for the Danish Red Cross. She has more than 18 years experience related to CVA, project management and coordination of multiple projects. As a part of cash school process, she completed her deployment for Africa region remotely.

Nicole Fassina

Nicole was the Operations Manager for Canadian RC and IFRC as well as the Emergency Medical Team Lead at Norweigan RC. She has nearly 10 years experience across Africa, Europe and the Americas related to Disaster Management, Cash and Health Emergency Preparedness and Response. She deployed to Greece as the CVA Delegate as a part of her deployment process for the cash school. She now works in Public Health Emergency Management leading a team back in Canada.

Ali Eren Karadeniz

Ali Eren is CVA Programme Manager at Save the Children and he has more than 8 years experience related to emergency response,disaster management and cash project management. He worked on a remote deployment as CVA Delegate to Indonesia through CashCap as a part of his deployment process of Cash School.

Chisomo Teputepu

Chisomo recently joined ICRC (staff on loan from British RC) as the Cash and Voucher Assistance Preparedness Delegate in Yemen after working with Malawi RC as a Head of Disaster Management and CVA Specialist. Chisomo has more than 13 years’ experience related to Cash and Voucher Assistance, Disaster Preparedness, Response, Recovery, Resilience Building and Project Management. He was deployed twice with the Cash School, as a Cash and Voucher Assistance Delegate to Turkey and remotely to Asia Pacific Region.

Florence Umulisa

Florence is working for the Netherlands Red Cross as Disaster Risk Management delegate (DRR and Anticipatory Actions). She has been working for more than 8 years in Local and international Humanitarian Organizations(In particular Red Cross Movement) supporting technically and managing projects and programs related to Community Resilience , Disaster Risk Management, as well as Cash Transfer Programming. With the Cash Practitioner Development Program(CPDP) , she was deployed in Madagascar and Jordan as Inter-Agency Cash Coordinator by CashCap/NORCAP to support Cash working Groups.

Ramesh Ghimire

Ramesh is a Cash and Market and, shelter Professional with 18 years of extensive working experience in development, disaster risk management, and the humanitarian field at the Red Cross Movement. He was deployed twice with the Cash School to Turkey and Ethiopia as CVA Coordinator.  Mr. Ghimire recently completed a mission in the position of CVA Delegate with IFRC Moldova.

Tom Norman

Tom is a Senior Innovation and Business Development Advisor at NORCAP. As a part of his CPD Programme he was deployed to support the CashCap co-hosting of the Iraq CWG and to IFRC in Nigeria as a CVA Delegate to field test CEA tools.

Hortense Sombie

Hortense is currently CVA Learning and Localisation adviser at British Red Cross and a mentor in the Cash school. She has a strong experience in Food Security and Livelihood and cash project management. She was deployed many times by PNSs and IFRC in west African national societies for CVA implementation support, or different assessments.    

Daniele Wyss

Daniele is Cash and Voucher Assistance specialist working principally with SDC and the RCRC Movement. Her last mission was Geneva-based, with the ICRC, where she specialised in CVA for Health Outcomes. She has experience related to Cash & Voucher Assistance, Logistics, Project Management and Disaster Management with more than 20 years experience. She was deployed twice, to South Sudan and Turkey, as part of the Cash School

Mohibullah Iqbal

Mohibullah Iqbal was the senior cash and voucher assistant officer and Data Management focal point at the Afghan Red Crescent Society, and he has experience in project management, disaster Management, Cash and Voucher assistance, Data Management, and monitoring and evaluation for more than 12 years.  He was deployed twice to the LAO Red Cross and Asia Pacific office IFRC KL based in Islamabad as part of Cash School. From August 2024 he has joined ICRC Afghanistan as a movement cooperation officer.

Frederick M. Orimba

Fredrick is working with the German Red Cross as Global Technical Lead for CVA since January 2022 and he had previously worked at Kenya Red Cross Society as Programme Officer and Focal Point. He has experience related to mainly Cash & Voucher Assistance, Community Engagement and Accountability, Disaster Management, and Public Health. He was deployed to Turkey as part of the Cash School learning process.

Leo Otieno

Leo has been in financial management for 3 decades mainly with INGOs in various parts of Africa, Asia and the ME including the RCRC Movement as a Delegate in Afghanistan and with the Norwegian Red Cross as Finance Development Delegate for Africa and Country Manager for Burundi. Initially worked as an external auditor prior to joining the Humanitarian Sector. Joined the CPDP and was in the first cohort that graduated in 2019. Had two CPDP deployments the first in Ukraine and later to Bangladesh. Recently been on a financial management mission with an INGO in Mozambique.

Muhammed Iqbal

Muhammad Iqbal is working as Director Operations at Pakistan Red Crescent Society, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. He was deployed for Regional Africa and Pakistan as CVA Delegate as a part of his deployment process of the Cash School. Recently, Muhammad has been selected/nominated as Mentor for the 6 months Cash Development Program for the MENA Region under Cash Centre of Excellence (CCoE)

Nabeh Allaham

Nabeh is the MENA Region, CVA thematic lead at IFRC – Beirut following his role as the CVA coordinator at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. He had more than 14 years of experience related to disaster management, cash, and livelihood. He was deployed to South Sudan and Kuala Lumpur as a CVA Delegate as a part of his cash school learning.

Kalkidan Belete

Kalkidan is now a cash and markets specialist with ICRC in Syria, following her role as cash and voucher assistance preparedness delegate in Yemen in which she used the role in Yemen to be part of her Cash School learning journey.

Helene Smith

Helene has over twenty years of professional experience in humanitarian contexts and has worked as a cash and market specialist connected to CashCap/NORCAP which is a global provider of CVA expertise to the humanitarian and development sectors. Helene has been deployed as Cash Working Group Coordinator to Uganda and North-West Syria and has also been a member of the CashCap Response team. As a part of cash school process, she completed one deployment to Greece. Currently she is working as Emergency response manager Ukraine for NORCAP/NRC.