Helping people forced to flee

Cash-based assistance is one example of how the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is helping those who are forced to flee.

This type of assistance allows people in crisis to purchase the local food, products and services they need. It allows NRC to be faster, more efficient, and more transparent and it gets more assistance directly to the displaced people we serve, who can spend it as they see fit.

Cash-based assistance can also boost local economies. When cash is provided in the form of aid, it can create a demand for goods and services. This in turn can play a role in rebuilding or building up local infrastructure and markets.

The majority of NRC’s cash projects give unconditional and unrestricted cash. We use digital technologies, like mobile phones and electronic cards, to make the transfers.

While goods need to be sorted, packed, shipped, stored, and distributed, cash arrives immediately.

Cash assistance ensures that we respect the individual choices of people. It gives people the freedom to decide for themselves what or need to purchase. This leads to a more dignified response for people who have been forced to flee. 

Links:

• Cash and vouchers
• Cash to buy what's needed most:

Every person has the right to a standard of living adequate for their health and wellbeing. This includes the right to food and livelihood protection.

During conflicts, disasters and displacement, food production and market systems face potential collapse. People lose their assets and their ability to earn a living is disrupted.

The Norwegian Refugee Council’s (NRC) main activity is the delivery of humanitarian aid through programme activities in the field. NRC specialises in six areas of expertise including livelihoods and food security (LFS).

We provide food assistance to prevent loss of life and to contribute to the rehabilitation of local food and market systems. We promote livelihood strategies that protect, recover and strengthen individuals' and households' abilities to earn a living. To prevent repeated displacement, we support engagement in social and economic opportunities that reinforce the adaptive capacity of systems, individuals, families and communities affected by displacement. 

We follow the UN Food and Agricultural Organization's (FAO) definition of food security: "Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."

In both emergencies and protracted crises, we analyse the livelihood vulnerability context and situation. This analysis enables us to better understand vulnerability, needs and preferences, and is key to the development of holistic integrated responses that contribute to durable solutions.

Our livelihoods and food security work focuses on thematic areas such as emergency food assistance, school meals and gardening, integrated natural resource management, credit and finance facilitation, and employment and income generation and diversification. 

In 2021, almost 1.7 million people benefitted from our livelihoods and food security work. With your support, we can help even more people!

Links:

• Activities in the field: Livelihoods and food security