[This is cross-posted from ACF's Vimeo profile.] 

Catastrophic floods affected 20 million people across Pakistan in 2010. ACF International with the financial support of the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) launched a large scale cash transfer program in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunwa Provinces to increase food security and restore minimum livelihoods, complemented by nutrition and WaSH activities. Program activities addressed post emergency humanitarian needs in four districts assisting a total of 111,600 people.

Since September 2011, ACF’s cash-transfer programs distributed a total of 1,973,000 € in recovery assistance to 10,200 vulnerable households. Each family received an average grant of 165 €, allowing them to purchase a three-month food supply from local markets.

ACF oversaw 451 cash-for-work schemes that repaired damaged irrigation and drainage systems and delivered 582 food and nutrition security awareness sessions. Our teams rehabilitated a total of 25 water systems, 8 gravity supply schemes and distributed hygiene kits to 1,950 families.

Since the beginning of the PEFSA II nutrition program, ACF teams screened a total of 25,997 individuals. 652 cases of severely malnourished children have been admitted and cured while more than 1,668 individuals have been enrolled in supplementary feeding programs. More than 80 health workers have been trained in identification, referral and management of acute malnutrition.

Filmed, directed and edited by Eduardo Díaz 
eduardodiazb.com

With the help of the ACF field staff

Burhan Ullah
Abdul Saboor
Mazullah Khan
Faheem Shaikh
Mehmood Ali Memon 
Aftab Ahmed
Mehwish Yousuf
Zahida
Mohammad Khan Samo

And translators Shahjahan Akber Bhutto and Hina Khelji

© 2012 Eduardo Diaz for ACF International

[This is extracted from an article in Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, issue 53 on the Horn of Africa]. Read the full article online here

Humanitarian organisations in the Horn of Africa are increasingly using cash and voucher transfers, particularly in areas of insecurity where access problems have led to a rethink of traditional ways of delivering aid. An estimated four million people in the region are now receiving assistance via cash or voucher programmes from a wide range of national and international NGOs, UN agencies and other humanitarian actors.

The sheer scale of the response and the number of agencies involved has brought coordination to the forefront of the discussion around cash transfer programming in the region. While technical coordination groups in the region are functioning well, these remain ad hoc and are not linked to the broader humanitarian coordination system. In a recent article for Humanitarian Exchange magazine, CaLP explores the need for coordination of cash transfer programming, examines what is working and what gaps remain, and calls for high-level engagement and leadership to integrate cash transfer programming into humanitarian information systems and coordination frameworks.

The market-based and cross-sectoral nature of cash transfers in humanitarian response is pushing humanitarians to find new ways of working. This has implications not just for cash transfer programming, but also for the way we do humanitarian response as a whole, because cash transfers are challenging the boundaries and sectors by which we organise ourselves. While there is clear evidence that there are substantial advantages in having forums for information-sharing around cash transfers, there has been little dialogue or evidence gathered as to the best ways of doing this. Given that practitioners  assert that current ways of working are not adequate, where do we go from here?

There is a growing recognition that coordinated collection, analysis and information-sharing on markets should not be limited to cash transfer programming but needs to be systematically integrated into humanitarian coordination systems and information frameworks from the outset of a disaster response.

Donors and implementing agencies must ensure that market analysis is routinely used to inform the consideration and selection of response options, and make greater investment in gathering baseline market data. Moving this process forward will require strong leadership and further research. The cluster system may not provide the most effective solution, and new ways of working may need to be found.

We also have yet to see a truly multi-sector coordinated response to a crisis, with different agencies working together across sectors to meet the diverse needs of affected people through a combination of resource transfers (cash, inkind or both) and other critical services. Yet it is not so farfetched to imagine that this could be possible.

The effective coordination of humanitarian response, whether in-kind, cash-based or a combination thereof, should not be limited by agency mandates or our own habits of working. The sector-based classification of beneficiaries’ needs is an artificial construct. In reality, people do not categorise their needs into sectors or view them in isolation from each other. By challenging the traditional barriers of sector-based responses and coordination, cash transfers are providing us with both a tool and an opportunity to build ways of working that recognise the dynamism of local market systems and reflect the diverse reality of people’s needs in a crisis or after a disaster.

D'après le Gouvernement du Niger, 34,9% des ménages nigériens, soit plus de 5 458 000 personnes sont dans une situation d'insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle[1]. Seulement une réponse rapide à la situation peut prévenir une crise à grande échelle.

[Photo: Oxfam]

Alors même que des millions de personnes sont encore dans le processus de reconstruire leurs vies et reconstituer leurs stocks après la dernière crise alimentaire en 2010, la sécheresse a encore frappé le Sahel.  Le Niger est confronté à un déficit de production d'environ 520 000 tonnes de céréales et de 10 millions de tonnes de matières sèches pour la production fourragère[2], conséquence de faibles pluies dans la région.  Une hausse de prix alimentaires et des niveaux déjà très élevés de malnutrition, notamment chez les enfants, aggravent cette crise qui affecte de nombreuses régions du pays.

Un tiers de la population du Niger est à l'insécurité alimentaire, et le gouvernement estime que cinq millions de personnes sont affectées par cette crise, dont la plupart dans les zones urbaines.  Bien qu'on prévoit que la crise va atteindre son sommet vers le mois de Mars, dans certaines régions du pays les ménages vulnérables ont déjà épuisé leurs réserves de nourriture et commencent à vendre leur bétail pour acheter à manger. Sans les animaux tels que les chèvres et les vaches, ces familles perdent une source importante de revenus et aussi une partie de leur source d’alimentation quotidienne, ce qui aggrave la risque de malnutrition chez les enfants.

De nombreux ménages ont aussi perdu une autre source de revenus : l'argent qui leur parvenait des membres de famille qui travaillaient dans les pays voisins.  Des milliers de nigériens qui travaillaient en Côte d’Ivoire, Libye et au Nigeria sont revenus à cause de l'instabilité et le conflit. Beaucoup d'entre eux sont revenus les mains vides - encore d'autres ont du emprunter de l'argent pour pouvoir s'échapper, augmentant ainsi la dette de leurs familles.

En vue d’apporter sa contribution à une réponse efficace à la crise alimentaire au Niger, le CaLP se propose un plan d’action axé sur trois points essentiels :

Le CaLP contineura a fournir des informations sur la crise au Niger et dans le Sahel.

Pour plus d'informations veuillez contacter le point focal CaLP au Niger: AMOUGOU Désiré calp@savethechildrenniger.org

[1] L'évaluation de la vulnérabilité à l'insécurité alimentaire des ménages, réalisée par le Système d'Alerte Précoce en Décembre 2011.

[2] Discours du premier Ministre Nigérien lors du lancement du CAP 2012 à Tillabéri, 17/01/2012.

[Photo: Oxfam]

Drought has hit the Sahel region this year just as many families are still in the process of rebuilding their lives, and re-stocking cattle after the last food crisis which struck in 2010. Niger is facing a grain shortfall of 500,000 tons following another severe drought across the Sahel. Rising food prices and already chronic levels of malnutrition, particularly amongst children, are compounding the crisis which is affecting many regions of the country.

One third of Niger's population is food insecure, and estimated five million people are facing a crisis caused by a combination of failed rains, poor crop yields and pest attacks. Four out of five of those affected live in urban areas. 

While the peak of the crisis is expected to hit in March, in some areas families have already exhausted their food supplies and are selling their animals and household items to buy food. Without animals like goats and cows to provide milk and cheese, families lose a vital source of nutrition, putting children at risk of malnutrition and stunting, and leaving families without a source of income.

To make things worse, many families have lost a crucial survival option: finding work in neighbouring countries. Many Nigeriens who went to Côte d’Ivoire, Libya and Nigeria to find work have come home early because of instability or conflict. Many workers came home with nothing; some even had to borrow money in order to return home, placing their families further into debt.

Facilitating emergency cash transfers

In response to the plans of the government and many humanitarian actors to use cash transfers as one component of the emergency response, CaLP Niger has set in motion an action plan focusing on 3 main areas.

With support from the government, UN agencies, INGOs and LNGOs, CaLP will focus on:

Capacity building of CTP practitioners including field visits, rapid training of field-based CTP staff, training on market monitoring and analysis and dissemination of CTP resources.  CaLP and its partners will also promote harmonised approaches to targeting and cash value determinition through the dissemination of standards and guidelines developed through the Niger cash transfer technical working group. 

Promotion of and advocacy for the use of good practices of CTP during the response to the current emergency in Niger, in particular around harmonising methodologies for targeting and setting transfer values.

Facilitating coordination for better distribution of CTP activities throughout vulnerable areas of the country, through updating and mapping of CTP planned and current reponses (3W) and presentations intended to highlight gaps and/or concentration of intevention.

CaLP will continue to keep you uptaded on the response to this crisis and on our work in Niger. Soon, we will be sharing an update on the emergency response in Niger and in the Sahel region.

For more information, please contact Désiré Amougou, CaLP's focal point in Niger, at:  calp@savethechildrenniger.org

[Photo:ACF]

When tropical storm Sedong hit the Philippines in December 2011, the Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP) through member ACF and with support from ECHO extended its presence in the country in order to fill important gaps in coordination and to provide technical support.

From the very first stage of the emergency, the CaLP’s support was appropriate and effective in addressing the needs of stakeholders and filling gaps in coordination.

With markets still accessible and functioning, numerous organizations developed cash-based responses to meet the needs of those affected by disasters.  With many different organizations using different modalities and mechanisms of transfer in the same or in neighboring areas, and in areas where in-kind distributions were also being carried out, there was an immediate need for effective coordination and information management. In addition, and in parallel to the high number of humanitarian and governmental actors involved, the volume of private donations from the entire country was very high. This increased the complexity of context of intervention.

Based on this context and on the needs expressed by those involved in the response to the disaster, the CaLP developed and sustained the following activities:

The CWG will regularly provide its members and each of the clusters with key information such as an analysis of who is doing what, where (3W) in order to identify gaps and overlaps and make recommendations, as well as share key challenges, solutions and lessons learned from the field. The

TWG will also promote the identification of potential areas for synergy and support the analysis of the overall CTP response through the set-up and use of common M&E indicators.

Below: A 3W map showing who, what and where humanitarian actors are using CTP

The leadership role that CaLP took within the humanitarian structures has been naturally accepted and supported by all stakeholders, none having the human or financial resources to address the needs, and the CaLP being recognized for its expertise. This critical function still needs to be sustained beyond what the CaLP can ensure at this time, especially to support the coming monitoring and the development of recovery activities, as well as to provide a general analysis and evaluation of the response.

See more on CaLP's work in the Philippines

L’accumulation de recherche et d’expériences dans la mise en place des programmes de transferts monétaires, ainsi que les conditions structurelles de l’économie globale et du secteur humanitaire laissent a penser qu’il va y avoir de plus en plus de pression pour l’utilisation de programmes de transferts monétaires dans un futur proche.

Cependant, la communauté humanitaire n’a pas encore atteint un seuil critique ou les transferts monétaires sont considérés comme une réponse « normale » a grande échelle.

Depuis 2008, le CaLP a contribué à la dynamique autour des transferts monétaires en situations d’urgences, et a développé une capacité institutionnelle qui a participé positivement a l’utilisation judicieuse et opportune des programmes de transferts monétaires

Le comité directeur du CaLP propose donc de prolonger le mandat du CaLP jusqu’en 2015.

Le CaLP continuera à œuvrer dans ses 3 domaines d’expertise : renforcer les connaissances et les capacités techniques ; soutenir la coordination et l’échange d’informations ; et fournir des preuves à travers la recherche et la documentation / le partage des expériences.

Cependant, le comité directeur estime qu’il est temps de changer l’orientation stratégique du CaLP.   A partir de 2012, le CaLP se concentrera plus sur la consolidation du consortium comme une plateforme de plaidoyer globale, et moins sur le renforcement des capacités des individus à travers les formations et le développement des outils.

Cependant, le comité directeur estime qu’il est temps de changer l’orientation stratégique du CaLP. D’une approche concentrée sur la sensibilisation et la formation destinée aux individus, le CaLP va d’dorénavant se concentrer sur la consolidation du consortium comme une plateforme de plaidoyer globale.

Tenant compte de ce changement stratégique, le CaLP a décidé, pour sa prochaine phase, de mettre en place des points focaux qui opéreront sur un plan régional, au lieu de concentrer leurs efforts sur un pays particulier. 

As evidence and experience grow, structural conditions in global markets and in humanitarian relief circuits imply there will be increased pressure for the adoption of cash transfer approaches into the future.

However, the humanitarian community has still not reached a critical mass whereby cash is considered a “normal” response at scale.

Since 2008, the CaLP has contributed to the momentum around cash transfers in emergencies and has developed an institutional capacity that offers continued benefit to promoting timely and effective adoption of cash transfer programming.

Therefore the CaLP steering committee (SC) proposes to extend the mandate of the CaLP to 2015.

The CaLP will continue to work around its 3 key areas of expertise: Building skills and capacities, coordination & knowledge sharing, and research/evidence building.  

However, the CaLP SC believes that it is time to shift the focus of the CaLP away from awareness-raising and individual capacity building through the delivery of training and the development of tools and guidelines, and towards strengthening the partnership's focus on global advocacy to promote change in the mode of operations in humanitarian crises.

1. Promoting appropriate and consistent information analysis in the design of humanitarian programming, with a particular focus on advocating for market analysis to inform the most appropriate form of response.

2. Advocating for strong leadership and coordination around cash transfer programming in humanitarian response, both globally and in crises.

3. Encouraging capacity building on an institutional level.

4. Developing advocacy messages, gathering information and evidence and creating tools to promote appropriate cash transfer programming at scale.

As a reflection of this strategic shift, the CaLP has decided in the next phase to place focal points on a regional level, instead of focusing support on individual countries.

Feedback, thoughts or comments on the CaLP's new strategic direction? Email: steeringcommittee@cashlearning.org

Premièrement, le gouvernement a annoncé un programme de transferts monétaires d'urgence pour répondre à la crise de securité alimentaire.  Le programme se deroulera au cours des prochains 6 mois. Ce programme de 56 millions de $US environs (30 milliards de francs CFA), est financé par le gouvernement et sera géré par la Cellule des Crises Alimentaire (CCA) du Premier ministre.

Deuxièmement, le gouvernment a lancé son projet de filets sociaux, un programme de 70 million de $US pour soutenir les populations les plus vulnérables.  Le programme est financé par la Banque Mondiale et aura 3 grandes composantes : un système de filets sociaux; des transferts d’argent pour la sécurité alimentaire; et des travaux communautaires par l'argent-contre-travail ou « cash for work ».  Il sera géré par la Cellule des Filets Sociaux.

Le CaLP a activement participé aux réunions des comités de pilotage des deux Cellules, et continuera de travailler pour soutenir la planification et la mise en œuvre de ces deux initiatives.

Pour plus d'informations, contactez Désiré Amougou, le point focal du CaLP au Niger.

In response to the current food insecurity crisis in the country, the government announced a 6-month emergency cash transfer programme.  This 30 million CFA francs programme (approx US $56 million), led by the government's unit on food crises ("cellule des crises alimentaires" - CCA), is mainly funded by the Niger Government.

At the same time, the government launched the much-anticipated "Projet des filets sociaux" (social safety net project), a US $70 million cash transfer initiative funded by the World Bank over 6 years.

The social safety net programme will include a social safety net system, a direct cash transfer programme for food security, and a cash-for-work component, and will be administered by the Government's Social Safety Net Unit ("cellule des filets sociaux" - CFS).

CaLP has been very active in providing inputs in the design of both programmes, and will continue to provide support to their implementation.

For more information, please contact the CaLP focal point in Niger, Desire Amougou.

Based on CaLP training materials, the aim of the training is to build basic awareness of the issues associated with cash transfer programmes as well as cover the key principles and conditions required to support the appropriate use of cash and vouchers. The course is currently available in English, but will be translated into other languages soon.

To access the course through CaLP, visit the e-learning platform and click "register" to create a username and password.  Then select the course and get started!

To access the course through IFRC, please register on the Learning Platform (www.ifrc.org/learning). Click on the ‘Learn’ button, browse for training, “Disaster Management”, and, then click on the Introduction to Cash Transfer Programming link to launch the course.

Read more about the programme here

The inaugural meeting focused on setting the working group’s priorities, developing the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the working group and appointing the leadership committee.

The purpose of the CTWG is the sharing of information, experiences, monitoring and lessons learnt.  Through collaboration and joint activities such as joint assessments, evaluations and advocacy the CTWG hopes to improve the delivery of services to aid recipients in Borana Zone.

Harmonisation is a key priority for the working group. The advantages of working together extend beyond just information sharing and harmonisation. For example joint assessments and peer monitoring can improve the efficiency of the cash transfers. Inter agency collaboration can reduce workload by sharing information, experiences and learning. The use of standardised assessments, grant size and monitoring tools can contribute to reduced workload and easier integration of information across agencies.

In the first meeting the members determined the top priorities for the first few months which include (1) determining the 3W (Who does What Where), (2) harmonising grant sizes, (3) developing systems of accountability and transparency and (4) understanding potential payment methods and delivery agents. The CTWG also set three secondary priorities which include (1) determining and monitoring the acceptability of cash, (2) developing joint assessments and (3) working on joint monitoring and accountability frameworks.

The agenda for the next meeting on 19 September will include:

Presentation of a research by Dan Church Aid  on the issue of implementation of taxationon people receiving cash transfers 

Presentation of a research  by Oxfam GB  on 3Ws  (Who does What Where), and

The leadership of the CTWG was appointed and includes HelpAge International, CAFOD, Oxfam GB and Government.

For more information contact: Alison arusinow@helpageethiopia.org, or Birhanu (CAFOD): BirhanuW@cst-together.org.

Each month, a humanitarian agency automatically credits her bank account with the money, the amount of which varies based on an assessment of local food prices.  Bringing her ID to a local trader, she can use a bank card to withdraw money from her account – as much or as little as she likes, at any time she chooses. 

It is a far cry from the past, when Mbaka had to wait for hours to receive food aid, and then carry a month’s worth of food to her home a few kilometres outside the village centre. 

And – although she is advised to spend the majority of the money on food – she can also use it to meet other needs such as transport, buying medicine, or paying school fees – all of which may help her become more resilient in the face of chronic crises.

The majority of humanitarian cash transfer programmes to date have relied on aid agencies and local partners to distribute cash or vouchers directly to beneficiaries – involving time and labour-intensive processes.  In many places affected by disaster, getting cash to communities can be as logistically complex as delivering aid in kind.

However, a growing understanding of market systems and cash flows in disaster-prone countries, combined with the use of innovative new technologies, is enabling us to explore the possibility of delivering money faster, more efficiently, more securely and to greater numbers of people than ever before. 

In a growing number of countries across Africa and Asia, mobile phone networks are providing millions of people with inexpensive cash transfer services.  In Kenya alone, over 15 million people already use mobile money transfer services on four mobile networks, and there is talk of developing a cross-network platform. 

In Mbaka’s village in Kenya, a local trader uses a wireless point-of-sale terminal that transmits data to a bank over the mobile phone network, enabling banking transactions to happen hours away from the nearest branch or ATM.  This trader is one of thousands of ‘banking agents’ that bring access to financial services to Kenyans in remote locations. 

Of course, in many places traditional ways of delivering money will still prevail for the near future, and mobile coverage and other technological infrastructure remains patchy at best in most contexts where humanitarian aid is being delivered. 

Using mobile phones and smart cards to transfer cash also requires a big investment of time to sensitise and train beneficiaries, traders and implementing partners, as well as provide support and troubleshooting throughout the life of the distribution.

However, no-one can deny that technology is evolving and spreading in the developing world at a rapid pace.  While still growing and developing today, new technologies and financial innovations have the potential to enable aid organisations to deliver money to unprecedented numbers of people, with record efficiency and speed.

[A version of this post originally featured on the Oxfam Policy & Practice blog, here.]

Economic stabilisation since 2009 has restored financial services, with a range of local banks and private companies seeking to offer services to the previously unbanked.

Despite recent improvements, traditional banking services remain prohibitively expensive for most of the population and up to 80% of MFIs are estimated to have closed down during the economic crisis. Agencies implementing cash transfer programmes also have to contend with Zimbabweans’ lack of trust in the banking system as a result of their experiences during the recent economic crisis.  As a result, agencies implementing cash transfer programmes can play a significant role in re-connecting the poorest segments of the population to access to financial services. 

In 2011 two organisations have for the first time led the way in demonstrating the possibilities for technology-based approaches to cash delivery in Zimbabwe by adopting two contrasting smart card cash systems within the urban areas of Karoi and Bulawayo. 

In January 2011 Save the Children partnered with TN Bank to implement the first use of a technology based cash delivery system by an aid agency in their humanitarian response in Zimbabwe.  TN Cash Cards were provided to 1000 participants in a Cash for Work program carrying out health and sanitation-related public works in Karoi. These Cards could be used to purchase goods using Point of Sale (POS) devices in local shops, or to obtain ‘cash back’ in these outlets or at the local TN Bank agent.  This was important in enabling beneficiaries to buy goods and services that are not available from the selected merchants, such as health fees and grinding mill costs. The TN cash cards are ‘chip and PIN’ smart cards which act as ‘electronic sub-wallets’ contained within a bank account held by the aid organisation. Cash was loaded on to the cards on a monthly basis by Save the Children staff, and the balance on the card was then automatically debited by the POS machine each time the card was used.  The TN Cash Card system has been well received by project beneficiaries because of its numerous advantages over direct cash, among them the ability to transact in fractions of dollars during purchases, as coins are generally unavailable in Zimbabwe.   

Following the success of the Karoi project, World Vision has in recent months also introduced a smart card system for providing support to increasing the ability of very poor labour-constrained households in the Mzilikazi and Makokoba wards of Bulawayo City to meet their basic food needs.  In contrast to the Karoi project, the cash delivery partner chosen was Barclays Bank, which provided low cost access to individual bank accounts for 100 beneficiaries.  This was accompanied by provision of a smart card to access the cash through the bank, ATMs and the Zimswitch ‘link’ system, as well as allowing direct purchases though POS devices in certain major supermarket chains.  As beneficiaries are each given their own bank account, funds can be transferred to all recipients simultaneously by a single instruction to the bank, avoiding the need for agency staff to manually load cash onto each of the cards.

World Vision’s Bulawayo cash transfer project is also supporting the development of income generating activities through provision of start-up packages  of inputs, production and marketing training, the formation of Internal Savings and Lending Groups (ISALs), as well as support to the formation of market linkages for selling produce.

These two projects are providing important information about the country-specific aspects of technology-based cash delivery within Zimbabwe, and how the use of these types of approaches can be best adapted to best meet the needs of beneficiaries and increase outreach of access to financial services amongst the largely unbanked poor and very poor households in Zimbabwe.  The CaLP Coordinator in Zimbabwe is providing support to the collection and sharing of learning experiences as technological approaches to cash transfer delivery begin to take root in the country.

Depuis 2009, la stabilisation économique a rétabli les services financiers, et diverses banques et sociétés privées locales cherchent à offrir des services aux personnes non bancarisées.

Malgré les récents progrès, les services bancaires traditionnels sont encore très chers pour la majeure partie de la population et il est estimé que jusqu’à 80 % des IMF ont fermé au cours de la crise économique. Les organisations qui mettent en œuvre des programmes de transferts monétaires doivent également lutter contre le manque de confiance des Zimbabwéens dans le système bancaire, en raison de leur vécu pendant la récente crise économique. Ces organisations peuvent donc jouer un rôle important pour reconnecter les groupes les plus pauvres de la population aux services financiers.

En 2011, deux organisations ont pour la première fois pris l’initiative de démontrer les possibilités d’approches technologiques pour la livraison d’argent au Zimbabwe, en adoptant deux systèmes monétaires très différents de carte à puce dans les zones urbaines de Karoi et de Bulawayo. 

En janvier 2011, Save the Children s’est associée à la TN Bank pour mettre en œuvre la première utilisation d’un système technologique de versement d’argent par une organisation d’aide humanitaire dans le cadre d’une intervention au Zimbabwe. Des cartes de paiement de la TN Bank ont été fournies à 1 000 participants dans le cadre d’un programme Argent contre travail visant à effectuer, à Karoi, des travaux publics dans le domaine de la santé et de l’assainissement. Ces cartes pouvaient servir à acheter des articles en utilisant les terminaux points de vente de magasins locaux, ou bien à obtenir du liquide dans ces magasins ou dans une agence locale de la TN Bank. Ce point était important pour permettre aux bénéficiaires d’acheter des biens et des services non disponibles chez les commerçants sélectionnés, par exemple les soins de santé et les services de mouture. Les cartes de paiement de la TN Bank sont des cartes à « puce et PIN » qui agissent comme des « sous-portefeuilles électroniques » sur un compte bancaire tenu par l’organisation d’aide. L’argent était versé mensuellement sur les cartes par le personnel de Save the Children et le solde sur la carte était ensuite ajusté automatiquement par le terminal chaque fois que la carte était utilisée. Le système de carte de paiement de la TN Bank a été bien accueilli par les bénéficiaires du projet en raison de ses nombreux avantages par rapport à l’argent liquide, entre autre la possibilité d’effectuer des transactions en fractions de dollars, les pièces n’étant généralement pas disponibles au Zimbabwe.

Suite au succès du projet de Karoi, World Vision a introduit, au cours de ces derniers mois, un système de carte à puce pour aider les foyers très pauvres en difficulté de travail à satisfaire leurs besoins alimentaires essentiels dans les quartiers de Mzilikazi et de Makokoba à Bulawayo. À l’inverse du projet de Karoi, le partenaire choisi pour les versements d’argent était Barclays Bank, qui a permis l’ouverture de comptes bancaires individuels à faible coût pour 100 bénéficiaires. Une carte à puce a également été fournie pour accéder à l’argent par le biais de la banque, des DAB et du système de « lien » de Zimbswitch, et a permis de faire directement des achats par le biais de terminaux points de vente dans certaines grandes chaînes de supermarchés. Un compte bancaire personnel est attribué à chaque bénéficiaire et des fonds peuvent être virés à tous les bénéficiaires simultanément par une instruction unique à la banque, évitant ainsi au personnel de l’organisation de verser manuellement l’argent sur chaque carte individuelle.

Le projet de transferts monétaires de World Vision à Bulawayo soutient également la création d’activités génératrices de revenus en organisant des cours de démarrage sur les intrants, la production et le marketing, en encourageant la formation d’ISALS (groupes de prêt et d’épargne internes), et en favorisant la création de liaisons de marchés pour la vente de produits.

Ces deux projets fournissent des renseignements importants sur les aspects spécifiques au Zimbabwe du versement d’argent par voie technologique. Ils montrent comment l’utilisation de ces types d’approches peut être mieux adaptée pour répondre aux besoins des bénéficiaires et permettre aux ménages pauvres et très pauvres, pour la plupart non bancarisés, d’avoir un meilleur accès aux services financiers au Zimbabwe. La coordinatrice du CaLP au Zimbabwe aide à rassembler et à partager les expériences d’apprentissage, au fur et à mesure que les approches technologiques des transferts monétaires prennent racine dans ce pays.

Durante 2008 y 2009, las respuestas con efectivo durante las crisis humanitarias en Zimbabue se vieron entorpecidas por la grave crisis económica y la hiperinflación que sufrió el país. No obstante, el cambio a un sistema múltiple de divisas en 2009, principalmente en base al dólar estadounidense y el ran sudafricano, permitió que las organizaciones de ayuda humanitaria consideraran nuevamente el uso de efectivo durante las respuestas humanitarias.

La estabilización económica a partir de 2009 restableció los servicios financieros y varios bancos locales y empresas privadas comenzaron a ofrecer servicios a aquellas personas que anteriormente no tenían acceso a los servicios bancarios.

A pesar de las recientes mejoras, los servicios bancarios tradicionales siguen siendo demasiado caros para la mayor parte de la población y se calcula que durante la crisis económica se cerraron casi un 80% de las instituciones de microfinanzas. Los organismos que implementan programas de transferencia de efectivo también tienen que enfrentarse con la falta de confianza en el sistema bancario que tienen los zimbabuenses, como resultado de sus experiencias durante la reciente crisis económica. En consecuencia, los organismos que implementan programas de transferencia de efectivo pueden desempeñar un papel importante para volver a conectar a los segmentos más pobres de la población con los servicios financieros.

En 2011, dos organizaciones por primera vez dieron el ejemplo al mostrar las posibilidades de los métodos de entrega de efectivo por medio de la tecnología en Zimbabue, a través de la adopción de dos sistemas opuestos de efectivo con tarjetas electrónicas en las áreas urbanas de Karoi y Bulawayo. 

En enero de 2011, Save the Children se asoció con TN Bank para implementar por primera vez un sistema de entrega de efectivo por medio de la tecnología por parte de un organismo de ayuda humanitaria en su respuesta humanitaria en Zimbabue. Las Tarjetas de Efectivo de TN se entregaron a 1000 participantes de un programa de Dinero por Trabajo que realizó obras públicas de salud y saneamiento en Karoi. Estas Tarjetas podían usarse para comprar artículos por medio de unos aparatos en los puntos de venta en las tiendas locales o para obtener efectivo en esas tiendas o en la sucursal local de TN Bank. Esto fue  importante para permitir que los beneficiarios compraran bienes o pagaran servicios que no estaban disponibles en los comercios seleccionados, como servicios de salud o los gastos de los molinos. Las Tarjetas de Efectivo de TN son tarjetas electrónicas con "chip y pin" que sirven a modo de "billetera electrónica" incluida en una cuenta bancaria, cuyo titular es la organización de ayuda humanitaria. El personal de Save the Children ingresaba el dinero en las tarjetas una vez al mes y cada vez que la tarjeta se usaba, el cajero del punto de venta le cargaba automáticamente el saldo. El sistema de Tarjetas de Efectivo de TN ha tenido una buena acogida por parte de los beneficiarios del proyecto debido a sus numerosas ventajas respecto al efectivo en mano. Entre éstas se incluye la posibilidad de hacer las transacciones en fracciones de dólares durante las compras, ya que en Zimbabue normalmente no hay monedas.

Tras el éxito del proyecto de Karoi, durante los últimos meses World Vision también introdujo un sistema de tarjetas electrónicas para ayudar a los hogares muy pobres y con pocas oportunidades laborales en los barrios de Mzilikazi y Makokoba de Ciudad de Bulawayo a mejorar sus habilidades para satisfacer sus necesidades alimentarias básicas. A diferencia del proyecto de Karoi, el socio que se eligió para la entrega del efectivo fue el banco Barclays, que ofrecía el acceso a cuentas bancarias individuales a bajo costo para 100 beneficiarios. Junto a esto se proporcionó una tarjeta electrónica para sacar el efectivo del banco, de los cajeros automáticos y del sistema de conexión Zimswitch. También permitía realizar compras directas a través de los aparatos en los puntos de ventas en ciertas cadenas principales de supermercados. Debido a que a cada uno de los beneficiarios se le abre su propia cuenta bancaria, los fondos pueden transferirse a todos los destinatarios de forma simultánea por medio de una sola orden al banco, evitando de esta manera la necesidad de que el personal del organismo tenga que ingresar manualmente el efectivo en cada una de las tarjetas.  

El proyecto de transferencia de efectivo de World Vision en Bulawayo también está apoyando el desarrollo de actividades generadoras de ingresos a través de la entrega de paquetes de iniciación de operaciones que incluyen materias primas, capacitación en producción y marketing, y la formación de Grupos de Ahorro y Préstamo Internos, además de apoyo a la creación de enlaces en el mercado para vender los productos.

Estos dos proyectos están brindando una importante información acerca de los aspectos específicos del país en cuanto a la entrega de efectivo por medio de la tecnología en Zimbabue, y la manera en que el uso de este tipo de métodos puede adaptarse mejor para satisfacer las necesidades de los beneficiarios y facilitar el acceso a los servicios financieros de los hogares pobres y muy pobres de Zimbabue, que en gran medida carecen de servicios bancarios. La coordinadora de CaLP en Zimbabue está ayudando a registrar y compartir las experiencias de aprendizaje a medida que los métodos tecnológicos de entrega de transferencias de efectivo comienzan a arraigar en el país.

In Western Ivory Coast, thousands of displaced people sought refuge with family or friends in towns and villages. However, 6 months of violence had disrupted the planting cycle, leaving many people scarce on food – and extra mouths to feed only added to the strain. Families coped by reducing the number of meals they ate a day to 2, and then to only 1 meal – often consisting of just maize, a local root vegetable. Adding to 10 years of chronic instability and poverty, this created alarmingly high rates of malnutrition, especially in young children. The crisis also had secondary victims - many families who depended on small trade to support their families saw their business dwindle and incomes reduced almost to zero, as the population had no money to spend.

In the zone around Danané, where many displaced people fled, CaLP member Action Against Hunger / ACF saw the opportunity to implement an innovative solution. Wanting to help the most vulnerable displaced and host families meet their basic nutritional needs, and also wanting to encourage economic recovery, ACF decided to implement a food voucher scheme to meet the needs of 2500 vulnerable families living in close proximity to markets. Targeting lactating and pregnant women and women with children under 5, who had previously been receiving high-energy biscuit rations, ACF provided host family and displaced women with coupons for a variety of nutritional foods including rice, oil, meat, fish, and fresh vegetables. The coupons could be exchanged for a fixed quantity of food through 165 small traders in two main market locations whose livelihoods had been badly affected by the crisis. ACF also worked with a local micro-finance cooperative to pay the traders on a bi-monthly basis.

The use of vouchers was appropriate in this zone because beneficiaries were living close to markets, market sellers could access a sufficient supply of food but had lost business due to the crisis, and a reliable local institution existed to pay the traders. In the context of recent and ongoing insecurity, vouchers were also considered to be safer to store and transport than cash. 

Dans les villes et villages de l'ouest de la Côte d'Ivoire, des milliers de personnes déplacées se sont refugiées dans leur famille ou dans des camps de déplacées. Mais 6 mois de violence avaient perturbé le cycle agricole, résultant dans une insufficiance de nourriture.

Les familles ont fait face en réduisant le nombre de repas consommés à 2 par jour, puis à 1 seulement, ne comprenant souvent que du manioc. Après 10 années d'instabilité et de pauvreté chroniques, cette situation a provoqué des taux de malnutrition extrêmement inquiétants, surtout chez les jeunes enfants. La crise a aussi fait des victimes secondaires – beaucoup de familles qui comptaient sur le petit commerce pour subvenir à leurs besoins ont vu leurs revenus s'affaiblir et pratiquement disparaître, la population n'ayant plus d'argent à dépenser.

Dans la zone près de Danané, vers laquelle de nombreuses personnes se sont déplacées, Action Contre la Faim / ACF International, une des organisations membres du CaLP, a vu une opportunité de mettre en œuvre une solution novatrice.

Voulant aider les personnes déplacées et les familles d’accueil les plus vulnérables à satisfaire leurs besoins nutritionnels essentiels, et souhaitant encourager en même temps le redressement économique, ACF a décidé de mettre en œuvre un programme de coupons alimentaires pour répondre aux besoins de 2 500 familles vulnérables vivant à proximité de marchés.

ACF a ciblé les femmes allaitantes, les femmes enceintes et les mères d’enfants de moins de 5 ans. Dans un premier temps ACF a fait une distribution des rations de biscuits énergétiques, et a utilisé cette période pour établir le méchanisme de coupons alimentaires.  Les bénéficiaires déplacées et les familles d’accueil ont reçu des coupons pour une variété d’aliments nutritifs, y compris le riz, l'huile, la viande, le poisson et les légumes frais. Les coupons pouvaient être échangés contre une quantité fixe de ces aliments dans deux sites principaux de marchés chez 165 petits commerçants dont les revenus avaient beaucoup souffert de la crise. ACF a également travaillé avec une coopérative locale de microfinance pour payer les commerçants deux fois par mois.

L’utilisation de coupons était justifiée dans cette zone où les bénéficiaires vivaient à proximité de marchés, où les commerçants avaient accès à une quantité suffisante de marchandises mais avaient perdu leur clientèle à cause de la crise, et où une institution locale fiable existait pour payer les commerçants. Dans le contexte d’une insécurité récente et persistante, il a été jugé plus sûr de stocker et de transporter des bons plutôt que de l’argent liquide.

En Costa de Marfil Occidental, miles de personas desplazadas buscaron refugio en casas de familiares y amigos, en ciudades y pueblos. Sin embargo, seis meses de violencia habían alterado el ciclo de siembra, lo que dejó a muchas personas con muy pocos alimentos. Además, el tener que alimentar más personas no hizo más que aumentar la tensión. Las familias sobrevivieron al  reducir el número de comidas a dos al día y luego a sólo una comida diaria, que generalmente consistía únicamente en maíz, de producción local. Sumado a una década de inestabilidad crónica y pobreza, esto dio lugar a índices de malnutrición alarmantes, especialmente en niños pequeños. La crisis también dejó víctimas indirectas: los negocios e ingresos de muchas familias que dependían del comercio a pequeña escala para mantener a sus familias se redujeron casi a cero, ya que la población no tenía dinero para gastar.

En la zona alrededor de Danané, adonde huyeron muchas personas desplazadas, Acción Contra el Hambre / ACF, miembro de CaLP, vio la oportunidad de adoptar una innovadora solución. Debido a que ACF deseaba ayudar a las familias desplazadas y de acogida más vulnerables a satisfacer sus necesidades nutricionales básicas y además a estimular la recuperación económica, decidió implementar un plan de vales de alimentos para satisfacer las necesidades de 2.500 familias vulnerables que vivían cerca de los mercados. ACF seleccionó como objetivo a las mujeres lactantes, embarazadas y con niños menores de 5 años, que anteriormente habían estado recibiendo raciones de galletas de alto contenido energético y les entregó a las familias de acogida y a las mujeres desplazadas cupones para canjear por varios tipos de alimentos nutritivos como arroz, aceite, carne, pescado y verduras frescas. Los cupones podían intercambiarse por una cantidad fija de alimentos en 165 pequeños comercios en dos áreas principales de mercados, cuyos medios de vida habían sufrido graves consecuencias debido a la crisis. ACF también trabajó con una cooperativa microfinanciera local para pagar a los comerciantes cada dos meses.

El uso de vales era adecuado para esta zona porque los beneficiarios vivían cerca de los mercados; los vendedores del mercado podían acceder a suficiente suministro de alimentos, pero habían sufrido pérdidas en sus negocios debido a la crisis; además, existía una institución local confiable que podía pagar a los comerciantes. En el contexto de la reciente y continua inseguridad, los vales también se consideraron más seguros de guardar y transportar que el efectivo.