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Cash and Vouchers
WFP delivers hundreds of thousands of tons of food each year, but, increasingly, we give hungry people cash or vouchers to buy food for themselves.
Cash transfers provide money to people who are struggling to provide food for their families; vouchers can be redeemed for food items or “spent” in selected shops. They are used to tackle hunger in places where there is plenty of food in the marketplace but where poor people cannot afford to buy it.
Cash and vouchers can sometimes cut down the costs of transporting and storing food. They benefit the local economy, because beneficiaries spend the money in local markets. People often prefer cash and vouchers to traditional food assistance, because they offer more choice and variety.
WFP is using innovative ways to deliver the assistance, such as scratch cards or “e-vouchers” delivered to mobile phones by text message.
Cash and Vouchers - Stories
Senegal Shopkeeper Finds A Reason To Stay Home
Business is booming for Mouhamdou Boy Sow, a shopkeeper from Senegal who used to think he’d have to go abroad to find a better life. But a new programme to help families buy food from shops like his has helped turn around the local economy and given Mouhamdou a reason to stay home.
Sudan: Camp Dwellers Welcome New Food Choices
Abdulla Adam Mussa and his family have spent the last seven years in a camp for displaced people in western Darfur. For most of that time, they’ve gotten by on food aid. But thanks to a new food vouchers scheme, they’ll be able to shop for their own food on local markets, allowing them more choice and a greater variety.
Cash & Vouchers: An Innovative Way to Fight Hunger
WFP delivers hundreds of thousands of tons of food each year but, increasingly, we’re giving hungry people cash or vouchers to buy food for themselves. Particularly when food is available on the market but too expensive for the poorest to buy, cash and vouchers can feed the hungry without hurting the local economy.
With New Food Vouchers, Afghan Poor Get To Choose
Until now, Balqisa has rarely had the chance to choose what food she and her family would eat. They are too poor, so they ate whatever they could find. WFP food vouchers are giving her and other vulnerable Afghan families the ability to decide what to put on the table. Watch video
