Miniguides: Adolescent-Responsive Cash and Voucher Assistance
Resources to help practitioners effectively use cash and voucher assistance (CVA) to achieve protection, education, and wellbeing outcomes for crisis affecte…
Cash and voucher assistance in emergencies
When disasters strike, children can lose everything — homes, livelihoods and access to food, water and education. For girls, the risks multiply — hunger, child marriage and violence rise sharply. But girls aren’t backing down and neither are we. Through cash and voucher assistance we’re supporting people in crisis to regain control over their lives with dignity and choice.
Why cash and voucher assistance matters
Cash and voucher assistance is a fast, flexible and lifesaving way to help families meet urgent needs with dignity and choice. Instead of receiving physical goods, people get money or vouchers to buy what matters most — food, medicine, school supplies or shelter — based on their priorities and local availability.
In the critical first days and weeks after a crisis, cash can mean the difference between hunger and nourishment, exposure and shelter. It helps families avoid harmful coping strategies like child marriage or child labour, while supporting local markets and speeding recovery.
How it works
- Empowers families: Cash transfers let families make decisions that best suit their needs.
- Supports local economies: By buying locally, families help markets recover faster.
- Protects girls: Cash and voucher assistance reduces risks of violence and harmful practices during crises.
- Restores dignity: Giving people the power to choose promotes resilience and respect.
Salimata is happy to stay in school
Despite having fled violence, Salimata is still able to attend school after her family received a cash transfer.
Our impact
Since launching our first cash and voucher assistance programme in 2011, we have reached over 5.8 million people globally with more than €239 million in cash and voucher support. From 2019 to 2023 alone, we delivered over €181.9 million in assistance to 4.4 million people—53% of whom were women and girls.
In 2023, we implemented 59 projects in 14 countries, reaching over 662,000 people. More than 80% of this support focused on food security, helping families avoid hunger and malnutrition during crises.
Girls at the centre
Cash and voucher assistance is central to our mission of advancing children’s rights and equality for girls. Our programmes are inclusive and ensure that women and girls—who are often hardest hit by emergencies—receive the support they need. Our feedback systems and community engagement ensure every voice is heard and respected.
Global leadership
Plan International is a recognised leader in cash and voucher assistance programming. We work closely with partners to deliver high-quality, accountable assistance. Our team includes global, regional and country specialists, and we are active members of key international networks shaping the future of humanitarian aid.
We also integrate cash and voucher assistance across sectors—supporting education, child protection, food security and livelihoods. For example, we use cash-for-work programmes to rebuild schools, helping children return to education quickly after a disaster.
Cash transfers help families invest in their children’s future
Cash transfers have helped Dalande, 16, remain in school despite the crisis in Haiti.
Policy and advocacy
We play a leading role in shaping global policy on cash and voucher assistance. We contribute to key networks and working groups, including the Global Cash Advisory Group, the CaLP Technical Advisory Group and the Alliance Cash and Child Protection Task Force.
We’re helping to reshape how cash assistance works—advocating for approaches that are simpler, safer, locally led and better connected to national systems and early warning efforts.
Our advocacy is grounded in evidence—drawing on assessments, monitoring data and lessons learned to influence humanitarian standards and funding priorities.
With humanitarian needs rising and funding shrinking, cash and voucher assistance must evolve. We champion the use of cash and voucher assistance in addressing hunger, protecting children and supporting education in emergencies. Through strategic dialogue with donors, governments and humanitarian partners, we advocate for cash programming that focuses on the needs and voices of affected communities, particularly girls, young women and children with disabilities.
Join us
Cash and voucher assistance saves lives, protects futures and restores dignity. Together, we can ensure girls and their families have the power to choose and the chance to thrive.
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