In pictures: Cash grants a boon to flood-affected communities
A village committee staff member fills in a cash distribution form in Quang Binh province.
Money is put into an envelope for a beneficiary.
Proof of identification is needed to receive the grants.
A woman signs on the dotted line to confirm she has received her grant.
People wait their turn to be called by the Plan Vietnam staff members.
A Plan staffer interviews a man about how he will use his cash grant.
Fingerprints are used as signatures for illiterate people.
Minh, 65, receives her cash grant of $70.
And it's smiles all round as this girl waits for her parents to receive their money.
Creative cash
November 2011: Following the floods in North Central Vietnam in November 2010, Plan Vietnam, with the support of the Irish Aid and the Centre for Rural Development (CRD) developed an Emergency Cash Programme.
The aims of the project were to provide emergency cash grants to affected households in flooded areas and to evaluate the conditions for an effective recovery after natural disasters. In Quang Binh and Ha Thinh provinces, 65% of 700 beneficiaries indicated they had to borrow money after disasters.
Some 3,554 households in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces received cash grants to recover their livelihoods after the floods.
A common occurrence
People in Vietnam are regularly affected by natural disasters, which means that after one occurs life quickly returns to normal, especially in the local markets.
In Quang Binh and Ha Thinh provinces, over 50% of recipients spent their money in the first two weeks after the cash distribution. Depending on the way they were affected, some people spent their grants on seeds and animals, others on medecine or food.
People appreciated the fact they could choose what they bought. The process of distributing cash is similar to that for in-kind donations: it requires assessment, targeting, registration and distribution. Plan Vietnam and CRD ensured beneficiaries were the most vulnerable and poorest households.
Read more about how flood-hit communities in Vietnam have benefited from this programme.
