ReliefWeb

Since 2013 and the introduction of cash vouchers, WFP and UNHCR have been looking for a way to build a more simple, innovative, secure and flexible mechanism that would respond to the needs of refugees in Mangaize refugee camp, Niger. In August 17th this became a reality as the two agencies have successfully implemented the new e-voucher system that will benefit thousands of refugees located in one of Niger’s most difficult area.

The cash voucher was introduced to give to refugees the possibility to choose their own rations from the traders partnering with WFP with the aim of diversifying the contents of their food basket. Today, those cash vouchers can be remotely put on contactless cards, transforming them into e-Vouchers, and can be redeemed at the same selected retailers partnered with WFP.

After UNHCR confirms the status and identity of the household, refugees are registered, enrolled into the SCOPE platform—a powerful and flexible data source that allows WFP to better keep track of registrations—and each household is provided with an electronic card which is charged monthly in order to receive the food assistance. Upon receiving the card, the household heads to the distribution center where merchants verify their ownership through a unique PIN code.

Moziga Aichatou, a Malian woman of 44 years old fled the conflict and violence in Mali in 2012 with husband, El Hadj Gimraw, 59 years old and their 10 children (6 children of their own and guardians of 4 children). She now leaves in Mangaize camp and was the first refugee to receive the electronic assistance card in the camp.

“Now I can shop like everyone else and choose the products I usually eat. I gain a lot of time because I don’t have to queue to receive my rations anymore. It’s good to be back to normal.”

For many other refugees like Moziga this electronic assistance card represents a newfound dignity. The long queues under the sun to receive the paper vouchers are now an old memory. In addition to the relief experienced by refugees, this car provided significant advantaged in terms of workload for WFP and its partners. The card is issued for the duration of the assistance and is automatically recharged with no transaction costs. WFP’s partners (retailers) are no longer forced to verify the authenticity of vouchers or count them one by one and the long distribution chain that existed with paper vouchers has been reduced to a simple interaction between retailers and refugees.

Finally, the system will also improve the transparency and quality of data. The identification/authentication of beneficiaries is facilitated. Additionally, the waiting time for the centralization of manually collected data used for monitoring has been eliminated as the system allows quick access to automatic data generated on the basis of updated information on distributions, beneficiaries, etc. This facilitates easy access to data analysis and rapid decision making. In a few words, since the SCOPE platform allows to know the beneficiaries better, through this joint effort between the two UN agencies, one can expect a better outcome.

According to a first cost-benefit analysis, it is estimated that the e-Vouchers mechanism allows WFP to save USD $60,000 per year compared to the paper process, exclusively within the Mangaize camp.

The first phase, launched in August in the Mangaize camp, benefitted nearly 9,000 beneficiaries. It is expected to scale up to 66,300 people living in the other camps before the end of the year. In 2017, WFP plans to onboard its different beneficiaries into the SCOPE platform.

Written by: Sidiki Traoré Boubacar