Risk
The CALP Network’s State of the World’s Cash report found that the perception that CVA is riskier than other forms of aid was one of the main barriers to CVA being routinely used. This concern is linked to the growing emphasis from donors on anti-terrorism and money laundering, and shrinking budgets for humanitarian assistance. The CALP Network’s work under this theme aims to debunk myths, facilitate collaboration, and share learning to ensure that CVA is systematically and equally considered, based on evidence of actual risks across modalities.
Current priorities
A variety of organisations are currently working on CVA and risk. The CALP Network is working to identify synergies among actors, avoid duplication, and define joint priorities that can be better addressed collectively. Together with WFP, the CALP Network is co-leading the risk priority within the Grand Bargain workstream on cash.
Featured content
Podcast: Will risk aversion hold us back from realizing the potential of CVA?
Podcast
Episode 1 of the CashCast, exploring how attitudes to risk have impacted the use of CVA in the Middle East and North Africa region.
CVA and Risks: What happens in the field, stays in the field?
Blog Post
In October 2019 in Douala, Cameroon, the CALP Network facilitated a learning event exploring the risks to beneficiary protection in Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA). This closed-door workshop, held as part of series of meetings and webinars on theme of CVA and risk in different regions, convened 25 humanitarian workers from West and Central Africa representing local and international NGOs, UN...
Webinar: Data sharing in CVA: ethics, ownership and privacy
Event
Thematic lead
Latest
Northeast Nigeria joint livelihoods and market recovery assessment
Report
Mercy Corps Nigeria, in conjunction with Action Against Hunger, Cooperazione Internazionale, Catholic Relief Services, the International Rescue Committee and Oxfam undertook the assessment across the three most affected states in Northeast Nigeria; Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, to better understand...
Partnering with Mobile Network Operators in Zimbabwe to Deliver Cash Transfers
Report
This case study seeks to investigate and document the following: The process of engagement between MNOs and CARE. Clarity of roles between CARE/WVI as implementing agencies and MNOs. Successes and challenges in the partnership between CARE/WVI and the MNOs Measures taken to manage the impact of the...
Zimbabwe ‘Cash First’ Humanitarian Response 2015–2017: Evaluation Report
Report
CARE International and World Vision International (WVI) in Zimbabwe implemented the UK Department for International Development (DFID)-funded project ‘Emergency Cash First Response to Drought-Affected Communities in the Southern Provinces of Zimbabwe’ from August 2015 to April 2017. The project...
Delivery Mechanism Mapping for Cash Based Interventions in Cox’s Bazaar Bangladesh
Report
The ‘Delivery Mechanism Mapping for Cash Based Interventions (CBI) in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh’ was conducted in December 2017 by a ‘Cash Champion’ deployed from Catholic Relief Services (CRS) with the support of the Global Shelter Cluster and ECHO, and involved consultations with numerous...
Feasibility Assessment of Cash-Based Interventions in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states of Nigeria
Report
Outputs
• Analyse the feasibility and available response options for
potential CBIs covering basic needs, livelihoods and
support to vulnerable persons, and moving forward
toward MPGs
• Recommendations and action points……
• Support the Design of a CBI intervention and develop SOPs (2017)
•...
Managing Cash-Based Programmes in a Volatile Markets Contexts: The Case of Delivering Cash Using Mobile Money During the Zimbabwe Cash Liquidity Crisis
Report
This case study examines how the Zimbabwe national cash crisis evolved and the ways in which affected communities and the CTP adapted to the challenges it posed. The study highlights what worked well, what was less effective, and some other possible future opportunities. It also provides operational...
Cash or in-kind? Why not both? Response Analysis Lessons from Multimodal Programming
Report
This research reviews lessons learned about response analysis from multimodal responses, that is, responses in which practitioners determined that more than one response modality between cash,vouchers, and in-kind, was a “best fit” or in which the conclusions about “best fit” changed over...
Cash alone is not enough: a smarter use of cash
Guidelines and Tools
Cash based interventions (CBIs) enable crisis affected people to make choices and prioritise their own needs. They also support markets critical to survival and recovery of communities. NRC is committed to increasing the use of cash across its programmes. Yet, cash based interventions are not a...
The Impact of Cash Transfers on Women and Girls
Report
This briefing summarises the findings on the impacts of cash transfers on women and girls. These are drawn from a rigorous review of the evidence looking at the impacts of cash transfers across six outcome areas (Bastagli et al., 2016). The review covered literature spanning 15 years (2000–2015). It...
Cash Transfers During Urban Crises: Lessons for Women’s Economic Empowerment
Guidelines and Tools
Cash transfers are increasingly used in urban humanitarian crises. They can stimulate markets and let people choose the help they actually need. But they can also influence gender equality and women’s economic empowerment — for good or, potentially, for bad. This briefing reports research in Nepal...
CTP in the Ethiopia Drought Response: Using Learning to Shape Action
Report
This workshop, convened by the CALP Network and the Ethiopia Cash Working Group, reflected on the use of cash transfers in the 2017 drought response. Key findings were: Cash helped address immediate needs and contributed to meeting some of the drought response objectives. There were significant...
Enacting urban cash for work programmes in Lebanon in response to the Syrian refugee crisis
Guidelines and Tools
Humanitarian crises in cities require responses that reflect the urban context,address urban challenges, and provide urbanised solutions. This paper focuses on providing guidance on good practice in cash for work (CfW) programmes. Focusing on Lebanon and the Syrian refugee crisis, the paper provides nine...
Cash Transfers in Remote Emergency Programming
Guidelines and Tools
In emergencies with significant access challenges for humanitarian actors, the use of Cash Transfer Programming (CTP) has great potential to help provide life-saving support to the most vulnerable people. CTP may not require a heavy and consistent staff presence, is not subject to the same logistical...
Cash Transfers in Remote Emergency Programming: Focus on risk mitigation
Blog Post
Humanitarian agencies increasingly deliver cash in locations with significant access constraints. Roger Dean, NRC’s Remote Cash Project lead, answers questions about how cash transfers can be used as an effective modality of response in such contexts.
Responsible Digital Payments Guidelines
Guidelines and Tools
The focus of the Guidelines is on the common types of digital payments services provided to the financially underserved such as electronic money transaction accounts. For clients to adopt and use digital payments, they need to feel protected from risks such as loss of privacy, exposure to fraud, and...
Cash Transfers: An Effective Tool for International Development and Humanitarian Aid
Report
In the last 20 years direct payments to recipients have emerged as an effective way to deliver aid to vulnerable people. Evidence from 200 studies shows that direct cash transfers (CTs) have a strong impact on poverty reduction, and that they are particularly efficient in emergency situations. This...
Risk-verse to Risk-willing: Learning from the 2011 Somalia Cash Response
Report
In 201 the humanitarian community faced a difficult question. Could large-scale cash transfers provide an effective alternative to food aid delivery in South Central Somalia to avert a famine? Ultimately, between August 2011 and May 2012, more than 81 million US dollars in the form of unconditional cash...
Introducing the ELAN Data Starter Kit
Blog Post
Electronic cash transfers (e-transfers) often necessitate the transfer of personal data, some of which is sensitive, between humanitarian and private sector actors, such as financial service providers (FSPs). As use of e-transfers increases, having strong data management and protection practices in place...
Using Cash for Shelter: Displaced and Recent Returnee Households Invite Recovery in Eastern DRC (DRIVE) Internal Conflict and Displacement
Case Study
The Democratic Republic of Congo, or DRC, has endured multiple conflicts since 1996, including armed conflict in Eastern DRC in 2012 and 2013. In December 2014, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the DRC reported that the armed conflict had internally displaced 2.72...
Using Cash for Shelter: Malawi Floods and Rains Recovery Program
Case Study
In January 2015, heavy rainstorms and floods affected 630,000 people in Malawi. Protracted immersion or flow of water damaged or destroyed dwellings and displaced over 170,000 people, with timber and roofing material also lost to the floods. Catholic Relief Services conducted a physical survey of...