The humanitarian community widely recognises the use of cash as an efficient and effective way of assisting people affected by conflicts or disaster. Distributing cash brings greater dignity and choice for recipients and enables humanitarian agencies to better meet individual needs. Cash assistance supports peoples’ own pathways to recovery and allows them to obtain goods and services locally, thereby also contributing to the recovery of local economies.
How we work with Cash assistance
Cash can be utilised to address a variety of needs including immediate basic needs and more medium to longer-term needs. People who receive cash assistance typically prioritise to buy food, paying for medicine or finding shelter in case the disaster damaged their homes. Cash can also be provided in advance of a crisis, for example to support people to evacuate themselves, family members, and their assets (food, animals, or tools). When distributing cash assistance, we always seek to ensure that it complements other types of activities, for example health care services or trainings on livelihoods activities.
Cash, and particularly unrestricted cash transfers, is the preferred response modality for Danish Red Cross when feasible and appropriate, and our aims are to:
Provide timely and accountable cash assistance at scale to vulnerable people in need, following quality standards and best practice in the area
Strengthen the use of cash assistance within Danish Red Cross’s priority areas: health, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), migration and displacement, and anticipatory action
Support the cash preparedness of our partners and thereby contribute to strengthening localisation
Explore links to existing social protection systems where these are functional, advocating for them to be shock responsive, and for marginalised people to be included
