Joint Cash Assistance Programme for displaced persons in Georgia
In June 2009, three UN Agencies - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) -completed a joint cash assistance programme for people displaced during the August 2008 crisis in Georgia.
The programme was implemented with support from the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), USAID and other donor organizations, in collaboration with the Georgian Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation (MRA) and the Civil Registry Agency of Georgia (CRA).
Through a WFP-led direct cash transfer system, short-term financial assistance was provided to those who due to the August conflict left their homes in the conflict zone villages and are currently registered in the Civil Registry Agency of Georgia.
Beneficiaries received the following types of cash assistance:
- One-time assistance in the amount of 100 Lari for purchasing winter clothes. UNICEF provided this assistance for children under six years of age and UNHCR targeted IDPs over 16 years old;
- Monthly cash assistance during a three-month period in the amount of 100 Lari was provided by UNICEF to purchase complementary food and hygienic items for displaced children up to 2 years old;
- Monthly cash assistance during a three-month period in the amount of 25 Lari for complementary food items (including fruits, vegetables and dairy products) was distributed by WFP to the whole caseload except the children under 2 years.
Cash assistance was provided through family bank accounts opened in the People's Bank of Georgia. Each eligible family received a plastic banking card, which was issued to an adult female member of a family.
Up to 30,000 beneficiaries received cash assistance. For this programme, WFP allocated 2,241,125 Lari; UNICEF -638,000 Lari; and UNHCR - 2,531,200 Lari.