With funding from UK Aid between May and October, 2020, the team worked with 7,295 people directly and 267,053 people indirectly. The team worked with YAGTU, SAHEL ECO, and local health centres as partners to quickly reach the most people possible.
How did it happen?
Use cash and vouchers
The project set up cash transfers for families using mobile phones and mobile money. They also set up vouchers for specific products families needed. 61% of people were satisfied with cash transfers.
Listen to what communities want
The teams set up multiple ways for individuals to give feedback – through community complaint desks, hotlines, working with local groups like savings groups, and through health centres – so that they could stay in touch with what worked and what didn’t. It’s not enough to collect feedback, we also have to respond to it. 76% of people said they got satisfactory responses to their issues.
Think about how people get information
The project supported savings groups to share information, which meant 21% of people were getting their information about COVID-19 and the assistance programme through their local group. Community committees and savings groups also set up community meetings on the importance of addressing gender-based violence.
Support digital access
For families who didn’t have any access to mobile phones, the project gave them a mobile phone so they could access cash transfers and information. In some places, that means families were 30% more likely to have access to phones.
Use in-kind distribution when appropriate
The project worked with health centres to distribute hygiene kits. They also helped rebuild water points so everyone could get enough water to wash their hands regularly.
What changed?
People have more food
People are three times more likely to have enough food, and three times more likely to be eating three meals a day – nearly back to the levels they had before COVID-19.
People feel more dignified
73% of people in the project said that this helped them improve their dignity.
More people are washing their hands and using clean water
13% more people have clean drinking water, and they are three times more likely to have handwashing equipment at home.
Conflicts and violence are going down
58% of women and girls say that gender-based violence is going down. The number of people who report witnessing physical violence has been cut in half. People also report that they are 75% less likely to have arguments over water.
People have more constructive ways to cope
People are nearly three times (2.8 times) more likely to cope without having to put their futures at risk. For example, they are 29% less likely to take out loans, and less likely to skip meals.
People have more access to information
People are 18% more likely to know how to protect themselves from COVID-19. They are also three times more likely to know about gender-based violence and how to prevent it, and 43% more likely to know about contraception.
Want to learn more?
Check out the project evaluation (in French).
