Cash Transfers Pilot in Southern Sudan from Save the Children

“Before the project started, I used to sit under a tree near the market and drink tea. Then the project started. I was able to save a little bit and buy a goat. One day, my goat became pregnant. Now I am able to sit under the tree and drink tea with milk.”
                                                                                              -UCT recipient, Mathiangdit Boma




Being an avid tea drinker myself, and knowing how much milk the Sudanese like in their tea, this story makes me (and, I imagine, Mathiangdit)  very happy.

In all seriousness, with fantastic timing I was just emailed a report from September 2010 evaluating Save the Children’s pilot cash transfer program in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Southern Sudan, which although isn’t really capable of measuring impact does importantly show that cash transfers are technically feasible in remote and conflict-affected areas.

• If appropriate security precautions are followed and existing  security mechanisms utilized, cash  transfer is possible  in post-conflict settings where security  is considered a risk.
• Cash transfers are not misused. 
• The most important priorities for use of cash transfer are expenditures on education, health and assets. 

I couldn’t find a copy online so here it is (hope Save don’t mind sharing – putting a link on their Sudan page would be nice!).