By Hannah Thompson, Julia Grasset, and Lauren Murray
1. INTRODUCTION
In many settings impacted by crises, markets are functioning, but affected populations do not have the means to purchase items to meet their basic needs. An increasing proportion of humanitarian assistance is being given in the form of cash and voucher assistance to targeted recipients or communities so they can make essential purchases to meet their needs. In 2019, 17.9% of total humanitarian assistance was delivered in the form of CVA. Disbursal of cash and voucher assistance is (i) efficient and cost effective; (ii) it stimulates local economies; and (iii) it is a respectful, dignified way of providing aid. Adoption of CVA as a modality for aid distribution is being limited by perceived risks. Staff fear risks such as: corruption, theft, diversion of funds, attacks against recipients, leakage and misappropriation of funds, unachieved sector outcomes, vulnerability to misappropriation of data, low quality of CVA interventions, limited ability to ensure accountability to affected populations, use of cash to purchase non-essential items and compromise of data security when using electronic transfer mechanisms.
Because of perceived risks, the possibility of including children and adolescents as direct recipients of CVA has been considered controversial. Subsequently, there are currently few settings where direct transfers to children/adolescents have been employed. This exclusion of children and adolescents from programmes that are prioritising cash and voucher assistance may be harmful, limiting actors’ ability to reach some of those who are most at risk.
In 2019 it was estimated that approximately 386 million children were living in extreme poverty. Within all economies for which there is data, children between the ages of 0 – 14 are significantly over-represented in the poorest 40 percent of people, with girls more likely than boys to be among the poor. Poverty contributes to certain child protection violations, exacerbating risk of child marriage, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, physical violence in the community, and inadequate care. Whilst research on the use of cash and voucher assistance to achieve child protection outcomes in humanitarian contexts is relatively limited, there are already indications that CVA interventions can be of benefit. Preliminary evidence shows that CVA may prevent children from being separated from their families, may reduce incidents of physical violence, may address child marriage, and child labour, may strengthen family caregiving practices, and improve children/ adolescents and their family’s psychosocial wellbeing.
This guidance seeks to empower child protection actors so that they can integrate cash and voucher assistance into their programming. By enabling increased use of CVA within child protection responses we will be able to learn lessons on how best to design CVA that minimises risks and maximises protection outcomes for children, adolescents, and their families. It is also for those implementing Cash and Voucher Assistance programmes – both as part of multipurpose cash programmes or in sectors other than child protection – who wish to contribute to child protection outcomes.
Objectives of this guidance
There are three main objectives to this guidance:
I. To help staff establish whether or not cash and voucher assistance is an appropriate modality to use as part of their child protection interventions in humanitarian settings.
II. To provide a step-by-step guide on setting up cash and voucher assistance to achieve child protection outcomes.
III. To list key resources, tools and support that will help you start using Cash and Voucher Assistance as an element of your response.
This guidance does not repeat detailed material that exists elsewhere describing how to plan, set up manage and run cash and voucher assistance. This is not a stand-alone tool. This tool sets out factors specific to Child Protection programmes that should be considered. The actions described here are additional or unique to standard practice in preparing for, setting up, and implementing Cash and Voucher Assistance. Therefore, this guidance must be read in conjunction with other guidance on cash and voucher assistance. The CALP Programme Quality Toolbox is the best place to look for up-to-date resources and tools relating to cash and voucher assistance. For guidance that looks at the intersection between child protection and cash and voucher assistance see The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action website. In addition, it is essential that staff using this guidance adhere to the “Child Safeguarding in Cash and Voucher Assistance” guidance as this highlights key areas of risk for children in CVA and strategies for mitigating those risks. For those targeting child headed households and/or unaccompanied children as direct recipients they should reference the Guidance Note on Cash and Voucher Assistance for Child-headed households (CHH) and Unaccompanied Children (UAC).