SDC Cash and Voucher Assistance

Switzerland and other members of the Donor Cash Forum have endorsed the Common Donor Approach to Humanitarian Cash Assistance (CDA 2025) - a unified donor vision for more effective, efficient, and accountable humanitarian aid. It reaffirms cash assistance as a key response tool and calls on donors and partners to turn shared principles into coordinated action, unlocking the full potential of cash to deliver smarter, faster, and more dignified aid.

Following the devastating impact of Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam in September 2024, the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) deployed a rapid response team and launched, among other activities, a cash assistance project to provide urgent relief to affected people and support their recovery efforts. The initiative reached 621 households – approximately 2,500 individuals - across eight districts in Yên Bái Province in Northwest Vietnam.

Stefan Bumbacher, CVA focal point and guest of the third episode of WHY CARE?, explains the benefits of Cash and Voucher Assistance in humanitarian crisis situations. It provides a faster, more effective, and cost-efficient response. Most importantly, it puts the needs of the affected people at the center of the intervention, allowing them to regain a sense of dignity. While it is not the ideal solution for every situation, cash assistance complements a range of humanitarian aid mechanisms, each designed to best address the specific challenges of different contexts.

SDC was an early pioneer of cash and voucher assistance (CVA), adopting the modality well before it gained momentum in the humanitarian aid sector following the natural disaster in South East Asia in 2004. Switzerland began exploring CVA in the late '90s, primarily deploying sector-specific cash projects, notably for shelter during the Balkan War. Ever since, Switzerland has been a strong advocate of this people-centred approach. The establishment of the community of practice on cash within the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) in 2005 underscored SDC's strategic commitment to advancing expertise and collaboration in the evolving landscape of humanitarian cash assistance. Over the past 25 years, Switzerland has upheld its leadership in cash programming, successfully implementing over 30 projects and supporting partner organisations through project implementation, capacity building, and funding for cash projects.

In late 2020, Guatemala grappled with severe crises as Tropical Depressions Eta and Iota struck, causing loss of life and extensive damage. Switzerland responded by deploying the GIAR and EEL teams, working with local partners to deliver aid and implement monetary distribution projects, empowering affected communities.