Cash transfer Philippine Red Cross programme fact sheet Cash transfer preparedness pilot ©Philippine Red Cross

Philippine Red Cross staff and volunteers responded rapidly making the Typhoon Introduction Haiyan operation the largest cash distribution carried out to date. The International Federation of Red Cross Acknowledging that trainings alone were and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), with not building sufficient confidence and funding from the European Commission expertise to design and implement cash Humanitarian Aid Office and Danish Red programming, it was recognized that Cross, started a project to pilot an inten- investments in preparedness and cash sive capacity building approach for cash transfer programming capacity building transfer programming in four National required more focused resources and Societies1 through a preparedness lens. consistent technical support. For the four The IFRC worked with the four pilot coun- pilot countries, the project started with a tries between May 2012 and December preparedness workshop and/or training 2013 to enable the National Societies to where the main challenges and opportuni- use cash transfer programming to address ties to scaling up cash transfer programming relief needs at scale, implementing it more during relief operations were explored. All rapidly and targeting a larger number of four National Societies identified five key households. The Philippine Red Cross was areas of preparedness: standard operating one of the four National Societies chosen procedures (SOPs), systems and guidelines; for the pilot. human resource capacity development;

1. Chilean Red Cross, Senegalese Red Cross Society, Philippine Red Cross and Viet Nam Red Cross Society. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2 Cash transfer programme fact sheet Philippine Red Cross Cash transfer preparedness pilot

contingency planning and preparedness; CHF 20,0002 to support the Philippine Red operational tools and action; as well as Cross in completing the activities outlined communication and coordination. The in their work plan. outcomes of these workshops then formed the basis of individual work plans for The Philippine Red Cross achieved many each National Society highlighting their activities against their work plan and no- priorities. The IFRC then provided global tably accomplished the largest relief cash and intermittent country level technical transfer programming to date in response support as well as a start up budget of to (Table 1).

Table 1. The Philippine Red Cross’ cash transfer programming preparedness pilot achievements

Area of preparedness Achievements

SOPs, systems • Developed cash transfer programming in emergency SOPs and guidelines and guidelines • Established a National Society cross-departmental cash transfer programming technical working group

Human resource • Appointed an operational cash focal point and assistant capacity development • Participated in the National Society cash transfer programming learning workshop in Geneva (May 2013) and the IFRC/CaLP global learning event on cash transfer programming preparedness in Kuala Lumpur (July 2013) • 80 staff and volunteers trained through face-to-face training and/or online cash transfer programming e-learning course, of which 40 also received on-the-job training • Provided selected chapters with telecommunication equipment

Contingency planning • Developed and approved cash transfer programming preparedness plan and preparedness

Operational tools • Identified several cash transfer programming transfer mechanisms for urban, semi-urban and rural areas and action • Signed pre-agreements with two financial institutions for activation in emergencies • Developed cash transfer programming toolkit

Communication • Re-established an inter-agency Cash Working Group in the and coordination • Integrated cash transfer programming learning into National Society disaster response documents

Learning-by-doing • Relief cash transfer programming delivered to 50,000 households

2. Lower expenditure compared to other pilots due to the 2013 typhoon operations. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 3 Cash transfer programme fact sheet Philippine Red Cross Cash transfer preparedness pilot

The Philippine Red Cross' preparations helped to respond rapidly to the immediate humanitarian and relief needs. ©Philippine Red Cross

The Philippine Red Cross has experience In addition to staff and volunteers trained in cash transfer programming since 2009. through the cash transfer programming However, the majority of their experience preparedness pilot, the Philippine Red has been in the use of vouchers and condi- Cross developed a more comprehensive tional cash transfers to meet livelihoods set of SOPs by adapting their pre-existing and shelter needs. Within the pilot project ones based on recovery programming. period, the National Society implemented Based on the SOPs, the National Society its first unconditional relief cash transfer was able to provide a one-day training to a programming in response to the 2012 Metro large group of staff and volunteers prior to flooding to meet the diverse relief the cash transfer programming response needs of the affected population. to Typhoon Haiyan. This helped the National Society to rapidly respond to the Since 2011, the Philippine Red Cross has immediate humanitarian and relief needs established pre-agreements with two remit- of the affected population, making it the tance companies to provide cash disburse- largest cash distribution carried out to ment services, LBC Express and GCash. date. Due in part to the preparedness work The experience of the cash transfer pro- of the Philippine Red Cross and the IFRC, gramming response at scale has provided 50,000 households were able to receive substantial learning about working with unconditional cash grants within four service providers which has resulted in months of the operation. adjustments to the pre-agreements. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 241 Cash transfer programme fact sheet Philippine Red Cross Cash transfer preparedness pilot

Trained Philippine Red Cross volunteers conducts an exit interview at the distribution site. ©Philippine Red Cross

Outcome Lessons learned The Philippine Red Cross has demonstrated • Monitoring tools including exit inter- the capacity to deliver unconditional cash views and post distribution monitoring grants at scale and with speed. Though enabled a better understanding of the this was achieved with international sup- perceptions of beneficiaries regarding port, this distribution would not have been the distribution process and how the possible without the commitment from cash grants were being used. the National Society’s leadership, existing • Nominating a cash focal point was SOPs and pre-agreements with the service important in order to institutionalize providers. the role within the National Society and to allocate the appropriate time and resources to support it. • Pre-existing agreements with more than one service provider enabled the National Society to disburse at an unprecedented scale.

Further information can be obtained from: Philippine Red Cross International Federation of Tel: +63 2 527 0856/527 0866 Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Fax: +63 2 527 0857/525 5787 P.O. Box 303 CH -1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Follow us: Email: [email protected] Tel: +41 22 730 42 22 Web: www.redcross.org.ph Fax: +41 22 733 03 95 1260006 03/2014 E