Taageero Cash
Tackling barriers to cash and voucher assistance programs for unaccompanied adolescents
Project:
Taageero Cash
Location:
Sheder Camp, Ethiopia
Funders:
Stichting Vluchteling
Category:
Economic Inclusion
Challenge
In Ethiopia, refugees between the ages of 12 to 17-years-old make up almost 19% of the total population living in humanitarian camps. In Sheder Camp, located in the Somali region of Ethiopia, there are more than 300 Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC).
While displaced young people make up a disproportionately large number of the total people in humanitarian settings, they are largely overlooked as a demographic group. Unaccompanied and separated adolescents have limited access to post-primary education and livelihood opportunities, often don’t have the right to work, and with no certainty of a durable solution, are unable to plan a future life for themselves, often ‘living in a state of limbo’.
Furthermore, young people continue to fall through the cracks when programs designed to help fail to address the needs of young people. One example is Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) programs, which have proven to be an effective, efficient, and dignified way to help vulnerable people access basic needs while living in both development and humanitarian environments. This ‘basic needs cash’ that is given to primary caregivers and families can indirectly benefit adolescents who live within the household. However, young people who are UASC or who are the heads of their households are not eligible for these programs and can’t directly access or engage in the process. Until now, young people have been excluded from CVA programs because the sector lacks clear guidance on how to safely and effectively engage them in the process.
To address this challenge, programs must be adapted and designed to meet the unique needs of young people living in humanitarian settings and should be a part of a much larger child protection program.
Opportunity for Design
With the Taageero Cash project, Stichting Vluchteling (SV), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and YLabs will explore innovative program models that utilize CVA to provide support to young people who are unaccompanied and separated. We will explore effective CVA pilot delivery models by combining the IRC’s expertise in implementing CVA programs with YLabs’ experience in youth-driven design.
Our team will work directly with unaccompanied adolescents to design and test a CVA pilot program that will minimize harm and unlock opportunities for young people. We will then create guidance around safe, ethical CVA programs for UASC and share them with the global community.
Next Steps
While field research was set to being in Spring 2020, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are thrilled to be restarting this important work in early 2021.
This project is made possible with the generous support of the Innovation Fund of the Dutch Relief Alliance.
