1) Is this Technical Working Group open to everyone?
This Technical Working Group is open to the members from all parts of the RCRC movement, including ICRC, IFRC, National Society. As we would like to have more National Societies in the Technical Working Group, we are opening new membership to one person per nationality.
2) I am member of a National Society, how should I apply to this Technical Working Group?
We would like to increase the membership with more members from different National Society. Before applying to the Technical Working Group, you need to have endorsement of the WASH focal point and the Cash focal point of your National Society. To apply please register here.
3) How many members per National Society can apply to the Technical Working Group?
We would like to increase the membership with more members from different National Society, then we will prefer to have only one person per National Society allowing more National Societies to be part of the Technical Working Group.
4) Is this Technical Working Group open to any professional?
This Technical Working Group is open to individuals with experience/interest in Cash and Voucher Assistance and Market-Based Programming and/or specialisation in WASH.
5) May I join as observers or do I have to contribute? I don't have much experience in this area but I definitely would like to learn more about it.
This Technical Working Group is open for contributor and not observer. Members of the Technical Working Group are expected to be available for at least a day per month to contribute to the different sub groups. If you want to have follow-up of the work of the TWG, you can have a look at the meeting's minutes and the different informations shared in this website.
1) Can you explain how CVA could be allocated to the community for a community-wide WASH intervention? Who would be responsible for determining and managing the WASH response if the allocation is to a 'community' and not an individual/household?
The Nepal Red Cross Society has use CVA to implement water scheme for various community in Nepal. The implementation is following standard SOP and the Water User Committee is the structure that will manage the community part of the project. The NRCS use community procurement if there is adequate capacity and interest in the water user committee, and we do an assessment to determine this, before we transfer the cash to this committee,which is undertaken in instalments.
For more information, you can have a look at the NRCS presentation done during the Cash Hub webinar #12 here.
2) Sometimes, in conflict settings, we encounter pushback of approval from authorities due to the risk of cash ending in the wrong hands, and vouchers being difficult due to technical limitations. Are there techniques (other than regular beneficiary feedback monitoring) to mitigate against the risk of cash being redistributed for inappropriate purposes?
One of the report’s important findings is that cash is often best but not always for people living through armed conflict. CTP has many benefits that are already well known, and ICRC experience suggests that these hold true in conditions of armed conflict, too. But our experience of principled humanitarian action in conflict also shows that not all situations are “cash ready” and some that are cash ready may not be “cash wise”. Careful needs-based analysis with affected people is always important to work out when and why cash is appropriate, and when and why other forms of support may be preferred and more likely to deliver the desired humanitarian impact. More details here
3) What are the different CVA application between the conflict/crisis setting and development setting?
Cash is used by people to pay for goods and services all around the world. This fact does not change in situations of armed conflict, when having cash in their hands can be mean the difference between life and death. The ICRC is enthusiastic about the benefits of CVA and realistic about when it is best to use it. You can know more on Cash Transfer Programming in Armed Conflict: The ICRC's Experience.
4) Aware that CVA has been used in multiple emergency operations and at times, also in longer term programmes – looking back to those experiences, can some examples be given on real lessons learned (either good or bad) on the field, in utilizing CVA in a WASH programme or as part of WASH activity roll-out?
In the document What does mean Cash for WASH Outcomes?, we are sharing a list of evidence based documents from the Global WASH Cluster on the different WASH thematics. Part of the objectives of this Technical Working Group is to collect/develop case studies from RCM experiences and to share it widely.
5) When we refer to CASH for WASH, is it by default restricted?
Not necessarily: Also unrestricted multi-purpose cash grants can be used to reach WASH Outcomes (eg Hygiene items in an Minimum Expenditure Basket).
6) How do we integrate CVA and WASH in project planning?
The document "What does cash mean for WASH outcomes?" is a good starting point if you are interested in integrating cash&voucher based assistance or more general market based approaches into WASH project planning. It contains a concrete example how such an integration could look like and guides you to useful ressource material from the RCM and beyond.
7) How do you implement this during COVID-19 pandemic?
The Cash Hub has developed guidance and tips on how to deliver and advocate for cash and voucher assistance in responding to COVID-19. Link
8) How do we manage demande and supply on local market?
There is a guidance document named Pre-Crisis Market and Analysis (PCMA). The PCMA Guidance is a practical, step-by-step resource to guide market analysis practitioners and team leaders to conduct market assessments before emergencies happen in contexts that are prone to recurring crises, whether natural or man-made, or where a shock is anticipated. This early analysis helps practitioners and decision makers to anticipate how certain selected ‘critical’ markets will behave if and when a shock occurs. PCMA is not a market analysis tool in itself but helps practitioners to use existing market assessment and analysis tools presented in other tool kits.
9) What are the different modality of payment?
The process of determining Cash For Work wage rates is basically the same as the one followed to set the value of any other cash transfer, but consideration has to be given to CFW specificities regarding not only the rates, but also the payment frequency and timing, and whether rates will be measured per unit, per timeframe or per day. More details available in https://rcmcash.org/toolkit/.
1) How integrate the CVA in the ERU?
IFRC started the review of the ERU tools and (British Red Cross) BRC has an internal transition project, we are reviewing the way the ERUs operate in an emergency response. There have been times when CVA has been used by WASH ERUs, for example Pakistan Floods 2010 response, were Group Cash Transfers were given to the WASH committees (setup by the Mass Sanitation ERU) to enable the sub-structure (the pit to be dug) prior to the Pakistan Red Crescent/MSM ERU team returning to place the latrine slab and erect the superstructure. Another example of CVA use which occurs extensively in ERU responses relates to use of Cash for Work. The BRC WASH and Cash team are exploring the possibility to use more CVA for construction of latrines, washing, bathing and drainage infrastructure, and for hygiene kit distribution during an emergency response. This is an ongoing work and we are exploring the possibility to use CVA during emergency response, the findings will be shared with IFRC and other NSs holding the ERUs.
There is ongoing discussion on the role of the Relief ERU, that usually support in kind distribution for the WASH ERUs. Relief ERU is becoming more Cash ready and some NSs like American Red Cross Relief ERU is delivering multipurpose CVA, often unconditional cash at scale. There are talks on how we can be better integrating WASH and relief ERU.
And as well there are discussions on building the Cash expertise within the WASH Team or bring Cash expertise into the ERU.