ActionAid Head of Advocacy, Ms Charlie Matthews, commenting on ICAI’s new report ‘The effects of DFID’s cash transfer programmes on poverty and vulnerability’, said:
“This welcome report has confirmed that UK aid delivered in the form of cash transfers is helping to lift millions of people out of poverty. ActionAid’s work in humanitarian situations shows how cash transfers can help the most vulnerable people. In the wake of the devastating Nepal earthquakes in 2015 ActionAid provided families with metal sheets, toolkits and £110 to begin rebuilding their lives.
“Aid money is precious and should always be spent wisely, transparently and be focused on tackling poverty. Cash transfers are an example of effective aid that can help people living in poverty, especially women and girls, to access key services like health and education The Government should heed the report’s recommendations and further improve their programmes by delivering on their commitment to empower the world’s poorest women and girls.”
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Notes:
- The National Audit Office, the UK Government’s effectiveness watchdog, found that Department for International Development cash transfers were targeting aid at some of the most impoverished and vulnerable people and that the “transfers show clear immediate benefits including reduced hunger and raised incomes.” - https://www.nao.org.uk/report/dfid-transferring-cash-assets-to-the-poor/
- A study by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) found that cash transfers can be 25-30% more efficient than food aid - https://www.odi.org/publications/9876-cash-transfers-humanitarian-vouchers-aid-emergencies