Humanitarian agencies today are increasingly delivering cash to forcibly displaced people and people affected by crisis. The process of transferring cash is evolving in a variety of ways in different contexts – from digital systems such as mobile money, prepaid or smart cards, and electronic vouchers, to the more traditional method of delivering funds through agents, informal networks, or over the counter. While this broad range of cash transfer systems offers great flexibility to humanitarian field staff and their partners, there is still much to be learned about how well these systems actually meet recipients’ needs and preferences.  

This is where Ground Truth’s research in Kenya and Lebanon is helping to develop a more holistic understanding of how cash transfer mechanisms are perceived by those who are intended to benefit from the support provided. Working with experts from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and OXFAM, we combine quantitative perception surveys with qualitative analyses of individual humanitarian “user journeys” to assess varied systems of delivering, receiving, and using cash transfers.  

A thorough understanding of users’ journeys in the cash transfer process, including their preferences, expectations and pain points will help donors fund the right delivery mechanisms and give aid agencies useful tools to improve the design of their programmes. Ground Truth will produce guidance for donors and agency field staff, and summarise our main findings in presentations and a brief video.

This project is funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).