Most refugees live in environments where they have access to markets and services in the same way that local communities do. Providing refugees with cash enables them to fulfil their needs in a dignified manner and contributes to the local economy.
UNHCR uses cash-based interventions to provide protection, assistance and services to the most vulnerable. Cash and vouchers help displaced individuals meet a variety of needs, including food, water, healthcare, shelter and allow them to build and support livelihoods. It can also be used to facilitate voluntary repatriation.
Displacement disconnects from income sources
When people are forced to flee their homes, they often leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs. As they are uprooted, they often lose their chance to earn money, let alone spend it. Our cash-based interventions (CBIs) seek to protect refugees by reducing the risks they face and to maintain their capacity to spend. CBIs can be used in a variety of settings, as long as there is a stable market and a safe way to provide refugees with cash or vouchers. The flexibility that CBIs offer makes them a more dignified form of assistance, giving refugees the ability to immediately prioritise and choose what they need.
Cash makes it less likely that refugees or IDPs resort to harmful coping strategies, such as survival sex, child labour, family separation and forced marriage. They also directly benefit the local economy and help improve the relationship with host communities.