CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMME PANAY ISLAND

OVERVIEW OF CASH TRANSFER PROGRAMME 3,785 beneficiaries targeted through cash for work, conditional and unconditional cash transfers 14 Barangays in Estancia & Carles Municipalities (Iloilo Province) Activities focused on debris clearance, livelihoods assistance to fishermen, and transfers to elderly households and people with disabilities

PARTNERS Programme implemented through GOALs national partner NGO “Signpost” based in Iloilo 2,485 beneficiaries paid through BanKO via agreement between GOAL and BanKO 1,300 beneficiaries paid through Palawan Pawnshop via agreement between Signpost and Palawan Pawnshop

ASSESSMENT December 2013 Rapid Assessment by FSL Advisor in Northern Panay (Iloilo Province) Assessment conducted through community mapping, key informant’s interview, random households interviews and semi-structured focus groups discussions Secondary data gathered from WFP, OCHA, FAO, NDRRMC, damage reports from the Provincial and Municipal Agriculture, DSWD and PDRRMC of Iloilo

FINDINGS Despite the destruction caused by typhoon Haiyan, markets had started to operate 3-4 days after the catastrophe. Based on these findings programme designed around cash transfers aimed at supporting livelihoods, providing economic opportunity and restoring local markets.

PROGRAMME DESIGN Sub-grant agreement signed between GOAL and Signpost whereby Signpost are responsible for implementation of programme. Protective gear and equipment distributed including boots, gloves, hoes, rakes, wheelbarrows etc. Barangay Health Workers utilised as medical focal points 2,934 people engaged in CfW project for 10 days receivig 2,770 peso 191 fishermen received conditional grant of 3,000 peso to repair boat 660 elderly and people with disabilities receive grant of 3,000 peso

BENEFICIARY CRITERIA GENERAL COMMUNITYFISHERMEN WITH NON- MOTORISED BOAT THAT CAN STILL BE REPAIRED MOST VULNERABLE PRIORITY GIVEN TO 1. Female headed HH1. With large families; many dependents 1. Child headed HH 2. Elderly headed or HH with elderly 2. HH that is looking after orphan/s 2. Elderly person/s living independently 3. HH with disabled individual3. HH with disabled individuals3. Disabled or incapacitated HH 4. HH that is looking after orphan/s 4. Elderly HH or HH with elderly head 4. HH with no able bodied person of working age 5. Large HH (5 or more)5. HH who did not receive any other LLH support from Govt or NGO 5. Not working and no source of income 6. Not working and no source of income If fisherman has a non motorized boat that cannot be repaired, consider him in the ‘general community’ category 6. Who did not receive any other livelihoods support from government or NGO 7. Working age individual able to do physical work 8. Who did not receive any other LLH support from Govt or NGO

FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDER BanKO staff were available to meet with GOAL team in Roxas to discuss the service in detail and able to assist during the initial registration process in Estancia and Carles municipalities GOAL coordinated with Mercy Corps who a significant experience working with BanKO Agreement was put in place for BanKO to administer the account on behalf of GOAL making it less laborious

REGISTRATION Given the short time frame it was not possible for BanKO to register all 3,785 beneficiaries before payments were due Any beneficiaries who were not registered by BanKO were paid via a separate agreement made between Palawan Pawnshop and Signpost

CHALLENGES Time taken for registration - not all beneficiaries could be registered on time resulting in an alternative FSP being sourced Blocked/Lost SIM cards – SIM cards were lost by beneficiaries between time of registration and time for payment resulting in a significant delay in receiving payment. Similarly SIM cards were blocked as not all recipients could remember their PIN causing further delays No Network Coverage – some of the islands had limited/no cell network coverage meaning they had to travel to another location to receive the confirmation text Limited Number of Outlets – BanKO disbursed cash through Prime Asia outlets which were limited in these two municipalities and initially had issues with ensuring sufficient funds were on site for all payments

LESSONS LEARNED Longer time for registration – time-consuming process which requires significant amount of manpower to collect and collate the data. Adequate time should be allocated to this element. Access for vulnerable people – gaining access to payment outlets can prove challenging for vulnerable people (specifically those based in island who had to travel to mainland to receive) Stagger Payments – Given the large volumes of payments to be made a clear distribution plan would ensure crowds are not gathered outside the outlet at same time and facilitate easier payments at Prime Asia

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT Increased Team for Registration Provide staff on ground to assist with queries Increase number of outlets Stronger focus on financial literacy awareness