Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA): Restoring Choice, Dignity, and Resilience
For displaced individuals and crisis-affected communities, financial security is more than just an economic necessity—it is a step toward reclaiming autonomy and rebuilding lives.
What Cash Assistance Looks Like in Humanitarian Aid
IRB provides cash-based assistance in various forms, adapting to local contexts and recipient needs:
- Electronic Transfers – Secure digital cash transfers via mobile phones, e-wallets, or prepaid debit cards.
- Vouchers – Paper or digital vouchers that can be exchanged for specific goods or services, ensuring access to essentials like food, hygiene products, and education materials.
Types of Cash Assistance
To maximize effectiveness and sustainability, we employ various forms of cash assistance based on recipient needs and local market conditions:
- Unconditional Cash Grants – Direct financial support requiring no prerequisites, provided based on urgent needs.
- Conditional Cash Grants – Assistance tied to specific actions, such as attending school, completing vocational training, or participating in community work.
- Unrestricted Cash Grants – Funds that recipients can use as they see fit, allowing for maximum autonomy.
- Restricted Cash Grants – Cash designated for specific expenses, such as rent, healthcare, or educational fees.
- Multipurpose Cash Grants – Flexible transfers intended to cover essential needs across multiple sectors, from shelter and food to healthcare and livelihoods.
Why We Prioritize Cash Assistance
Empowering Communities
Providing cash allows displaced individuals to make their own financial decisions, preserving their dignity while enabling them to prioritize what they need most. Unlike traditional in-kind aid, cash prevents recipients from having to sell donated items at reduced prices just to afford more urgent necessities.
Boosting Local Economies
Cash-based interventions stimulate local markets by increasing demand for goods and services, creating economic opportunities within host communities. A 2014 study in Lebanon demonstrated that every dollar spent in cash assistance generated USD 2.13 in gross domestic product—showcasing its impact in revitalizing economies.
Enhancing Efficiency and Transparency
Digital cash transfers streamline aid distribution, reducing administrative costs and minimizing logistical challenges. With secure and traceable transactions, we ensure accountability while reaching those in need swiftly and effectively.
How IRB Delivers Cash Assistance
At IRB, we tailor cash distribution methods to the realities of each crisis situation:
- Digital Transfers – Preferred where technology and infrastructure allow, using mobile money, bank transfers, or prepaid cards.
- Vouchers – Used when banking systems or identification requirements make cash transfers impractical, ensuring recipients can still access vital resources.
- Direct Cash Distribution – Employed only as a last resort when digital solutions are unavailable, balancing urgency with security measures.
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- 39a Dufferin Avenue, Bangor, Northern Ireland, BT20 3AB
- info@irelandrefugeeboard.co.uk