Cash and Voucher Assistance Essentials for Nutrition Cluster Information Managers

CVA refers to all programmes where cash transfers or vouchers for goods or services are directly provided to recipients. In the context of humanitarian assistance, the term refers to the provision of cash transfers or vouchers directly to individuals, household or community recipients; not to governments or other state actors.

Thus, cash transfers made directly to institutions with the objective of strengthening health or nutrition service provision, such as payments of incentives for volunteers or community health workers, or grants to health facilities, are considered transfers to governments or other state institutions (and not individuals or households or communities) and do not fall under the definition of CVA.