Attachments
Introduction
Ground Truth Solutions has been amplifying the views of cash and voucher assistance (CVA) recipients through its Cash Barometer project since 2019. In 2022, we talked to nearly 1,500 recipients in the three subprefectures of the Central African Republic (CAR) where the largest number of CVA recipients for 2021 were located: Bangui, Kaga-Bandoro, and Paoua.
In Paoua and Bangui, most people preferred to receive unrestricted cash but, in KagaBandoro, the majority favoured vouchers (55%), with only 32% choosing cash. Similarly, in REACH’s 2022 multisectoral needs assessment, cash was not the top choice of aid recipients across CAR; most people preferred in-kind assistance.
Intrigued by the disparity between regions and curious as to why people would prefer a more restrictive form of assistance over flexible cash, we, together with the data collection agency, returned to Kaga-Bandoro in April 2023 to meet with people who had received CVA in the previous six months. Through in-depth individual interviews and focus-group discussions at the Lazare camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and in the Abdallah neighbourhood, the team sought to uncover the preferred methods of receiving assistance and the underlying factors that influence these preferences.
In each location, we conducted 10 interviews and two focus-group discussions, one with men and one with women. More details can be found in our Methodology section.
After completion of the interviews, we facilitated a workshop in Kaga-Bandoro, with the support of OCHA’s sub-office, to discuss the findings with CVA practitioners operating in the area. The dialogue helped us to gain a deeper understanding of the context, and provided an opportunity to exchange views on good practices as well as the roadblocks practitioners face in improving people’s experience with CVA.