Unconditional Cash Assistance via E-Transfer: Implementation Lessons Learned - Winterization Support via CSC Bank ATM Card

In August 2013, the Lebanese government authorized humanitarian organizations to provide cash assistance to vulnerable Syrian refugees. Since, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Lebanon implemented various projects to provide cash assistance to vulnerable Syrian refugees. In November 2013, DRC signed an agreement with CSC Bank for the provision and management of 120,000 cards with UNHCR and ECHO winterization funding.

DRC sees cash distribution as a way to empower beneficiaries, and to ensure that beneficiaries see a larger percentage of the donor money “cash-in-hand” – this report looks at how this can best be achieved. The document uses the 2013 Cash and Learning Partnership (CaLP) guidelines on e-transfers in emergencies as a point of reference for assessing adherence to best practices and generating lessons learned. The report outlines the rollout process, highlights the challenges, and provides recommendations for future humanitarian cash programming in Lebanon based on the lessons learned.