Doocy Shannon, Johnson Diane, Robinson Courtland
Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Suite E8132, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2008 Jun;2(2):95-103. doi: 10.1097/DMP.0b013e318170b5b4.
Historically, cash interventions, as opposed to material or in-kind aid, have been relatively uncommon in the humanitarian response to emergencies. The widespread implementation of cash-based programs following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami provided an opportunity to examine cash distributions following disasters. The Mercy Corps cash grant program in Aceh, Indonesia, was a short-term intervention intended to assist in recompensing losses from the December 2004 tsunami.
An evaluation of the Mercy Corps cash grant program was conducted for the 12-month period following the tsunami using program monitoring data and a systematic survey of cash grant beneficiaries.
in 2005, the cash grant program disbursed more than US$3.3 million to more than 53,000 beneficiaries; the average cash grant award was US$6390, which was shared by an average of 108 beneficiaries. In a beneficiary survey, more than 95% of respondents reported the grant allocation processes were fair and transparent and that grant funds were received.
The Mercy Corps experience with cash programs suggests that cash interventions in the emergency context, when properly administered, can have an immediate impact and serve as an efficient mechanism for providing assistance. Organizations involved in humanitarian relief, particularly donors and nongovernmental organizations, should consider incorporating cash-based interventions as an element of their response in future emergencies.
从历史上看，与物资或实物援助不同，现金干预措施在人道主义应急响应中相对少见。2004年印度洋海啸后基于现金的项目广泛实施，为研究灾后现金发放情况提供了契机。印度尼西亚亚齐省的美慈组织现金补助项目是一项短期干预措施，旨在帮助补偿2004年12月海啸造成的损失。
利用项目监测数据和对现金补助受益人进行的系统调查，对海啸发生后的12个月期间美慈组织的现金补助项目进行了评估。
2005年，现金补助项目向超过5.3万名受益人发放了超过330万美元；平均现金补助金额为6390美元，平均由108名受益人分享。在受益人调查中，超过95%的受访者表示补助分配过程公平透明，且已收到补助资金。
美慈组织在现金项目方面的经验表明，在紧急情况下，现金干预措施若管理得当，可立即产生影响，并成为提供援助的有效机制。参与人道主义救援的组织，特别是捐助方和非政府组织，应考虑将基于现金的干预措施纳入未来应对紧急情况的举措之中。
