Cash consortium guidance: How to launch and manage a cash assistance program and consortium. Lessons from VenEsperanza, Latin America’s largest humanitarian cash consortium

The VenEsperanza Consortium is working to expand its research and influence on issues related to the provision of MPCA in emergencies and coordination between humanitarian actors in emergency settings. With this objective in mind, VenEsperanza has prioritized investment in greater evidence generation and analysis to harvest lessons learned for the benefit of humanitarian agencies and cash actors and to help inform strategic decision-making for the next stages of cash work in Colombia and beyond. As part of VenEsperanza’s research and learning agenda, recent research aimed to collect, analyze, and document best practices and opportunities for improvement related to the VenEsperanza consortium and its MCPA programming.
Using a case study approach, this guidance provides an account of the VenEsperanza cash transfer program in Colombia and lessons learned to date. Findings are organized and presented by research theme, with each section dedicated to one component of the consortium’s structure and/or operation, including governance and decision-making, information and data management, staff management, inter-agency coordination and harmonization, participant identification and selection, and communication channels with participants. The report describes how VenEsperanza approached the design and set-up of these aspects of the consortium, as well as any changes and adaptations made since the consortium’s launch, documenting what’s worked well and what hasn’t worked in order to extract best practices as well as any gaps and opportunities for improvement.
This guidance is intended for (1) internal VenEsperanza stakeholders, so that lessons learned may serve to inform and improve future programming, and (2) external stakeholders looking to implement a MPCA consortium, so that VenEsperanza may provide a framework for future consortia.