Eswatini Red Cross Society made national history today by launching its first-ever position paper on Cash or Voucher Assistance (CVA), during a stakeholder meeting held at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mbabane.
The model, already used by the humanitarian organisation since 2016, replaces traditional food parcel distributions with direct financial support for those affected by crises. The paper outlines the organisation’s roadmap to scale up the CVA model and ensure it becomes a core part of its emergency response strategy.
Simanga Ngcamphalala, the CVA Officer at Eswatini Red Cross Society, presented the document before a wide array of players in the humanitarian and financial sectors. These included representatives from commercial banks, mobile money operators, fintech companies, and development agencies.
Ngcamphalala revealed that by 2026, at least half of the organisation’s emergency interventions will make use of a blend of conditional and unconditional CVA approaches. He credited years of practical experience and collaboration with service providers for laying the groundwork to expand the programme further.
BERCS Secretary General, Danger Nhlabatsi, said the cash-based model allows people affected by disaster to regain a sense of dignity by choosing what they need the most. He described the CVA system as a reflection of modern humanitarian aid—flexible and responsive to individual needs.
“Instead of standing in line for food parcels that may not be what the family needs, a mother can now choose to buy medicine for her child, pay school fees, or stock up on groceries. It’s about giving people the dignity of choice,” said Nhlabatsi.
While acknowledging that the shift from traditional aid to CVA was not easy, he said strong partnerships with banks, mobile operators and humanitarian donors were instrumental in the success of the initiative.
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