Oxfam's Cash Transfers in the Red Sea State

From 2005 to 2006, Oxfam provided 5,600 households with SDG 300 each (or GBP 75) through a cash-for-work program that followed 8 months of food aid. In 2006, Oxfam piloted a second cash intervention, this time in South Tokar and rural Port Sudan. In this cash-for-recovery intervention, Oxfam targeted 4,300 households with a direct transfer of SDG 450 (GBP 112.50) per household. The pilot initiative was highly popular. Neither market distortions nor significant internal household tensions were observed. The main limitation of the programme was that the cash value was too low to have a sustained impact on local livelihoods. This external evaluation was carried out in Tokar and rural Port Sudan from 7–13 November using a variety of methods including household interviews, village focus group meetings, and interviews with Tokar Council members. The purpose was to answer two questions: (1) how efficiently the cash transfer project was implemented and (2) how effective cash was in meeting project goals. To evaluate cash impacts, it used an analytical framework called the Household Economy Approach, which also provided a useful means to get to the heart of the cash issue: How much cash is actually needed to meet short- and long-term livelihood objectives?