In the southern African nation of Eswatini, cash and voucher assistance is making a real difference in people’s lives, particularly those most vulnerable after crisis. ‘It’s not just about fairness—it’s about effectiveness.’
Even before the floods, life for Banele Mamba was hard enough. But then the floodwaters came and the 31-year-old mother of five had to cope with extensive damage to her family’s home.
“Water would seep in through the house,” she says. “I was so worried—especially because I live with chronic illness. I didn’t want the children to get sick from flu, cholera or other diseases.”
Banele Mamba was able to fix some of those leaks, make other critical repairs and restock her pantry with support that came in the form of cash and voucher assistance provided by the Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society.
The Red Cross here has been working in partnership with the IFRC Pretoria Delegation, as part of the EU-funded Pilot Programmatic Partnership (ECHO PPP), to deliver cash and vouchers to people impacted by recent floods.
Unlike other forms of relief aid such as food or household supplies, cash transfer and vouchers give people such as Banele the power to decide what her families need most following times of crisis.
Delivered through mobile money transfers, both the cash and voucher components are redeemed in cash form. This approach empowers families while also supporting the local economy through increased purchasing at community shops and markets.
For Banele Mamba, the flexibility of cash support made a world of difference. She used part of the funds to seal parts of the leaking roof and reinforce the walls to prevent water from seeping in during heavy rains.
She also used the cash to buy essential food items and toiletries—products that she previously struggled to afford consistently. In months when the household budget was tight, she was therefore able to avoid borrowing from local money lenders.
“We believe that people affected by crises are the best placed to decide their needs,” says Tebukhosi Dlamini, Safe and Inclusive Programming Officer at Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society.
While the EU provided funding, the IFRC contributed technical guidance and policy review support to the Eswatini National Society during the planning and implementation of the programme. In doing so, the IFRC Pretoria delegation applied a protection- and gender-sensitive lens across all stages of the programmatic partnership.
“By applying protection and gender-sensitive principles, we ensure that women like Banele are not only included but prioritized in the selection processes,” Dlamini added.
Putting inclusion into practice
Women-headed households, survivors of gender-based violence, caregivers of orphaned children, and other at-risk groups were given high priority, recognizing people in these situations often face greater risks and barriers to recovery.
“Focusing on women and other vulnerable groups is not just about fairness—it’s about effectiveness,” says Boitumelo Phihlela, who works as focal person for protection, gender and inclusion, as well as community engagement and accountability, for the IFRC’s Pretoria Delegation.
“When we prioritize those most at risk, we strengthen the entire community’s resilience. Women, in particular, play a vital role in family and community wellbeing, so supporting them directly creates a ripple effect of positive change.
“This approach also ensures that protection and dignity are central to our response, which is key to building trust and long-term recovery.”
The process is guided by inclusive criteria co-developed with the communities, which then participates in applying these standards to all aspects of the initiative.
Continued learning and improvement: Key lessons learned
The cash and voucher assistance programme in Eswatini fits in with larger efforts to continually improve the way the IFRC works with, supports and accompanies communities following crisis.
The IFRC Pretoria Delegation and its partners, for example, also use this inclusive mindset – along with cash and voucher assistance – to strengthen long-term resilience local farmers in four other countries in southern Africa (Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa and Namibia).
The support also comes in the form of seeds and other agricultural inputs—ensuring communities are not only surviving today but are better prepared for the future.
Here are a few of the key takeaways from the IFRC Pretoria delegation’s three-year Programmatic Partnership collaboration.
- Embed protection, gender and inclusion principles throughout all stages of programme design and implementation —ensuring that the unique needs, risks, and capacities of different groups, particularly women, children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations, are considered and addressed.
- Prioritize proactive, inclusive community engagement where feedback mechanisms are not only established but also trusted and accessible to all segments of the population.
- Strengthen the feedback loop by ensuring community input is used to inform and adjust programming. The use of community feedback is needed to shape programming decisions which helps build trust and ensures greater accountability to target populations. In one farming community, for example, people noted that the seeds initially provided were not suited to their local soil and climate conditions, which affected crop growth. Upon hearing this, the Red Cross programme adapted by sourcing and distributing more appropriate seed varieties, improving harvest outcomes and reinforcing the community’s trust that their feedback leads to real changes.
“It’s not enough to have feedback systems—we must make them visible, trusted, and use them to shape decisions,” said the IFRC’s Phihlela. “That’s how we build real accountability.”
Read more about cash and voucher assistance at the IFRC
Learn more about the Programmatic Partnership
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).