Unconditional Cash Transfer Activity Emergency Assistance to Populations Impacted by Covid-19 Monthly Report

The program provides digital unconditional cash transfers through mobile money to support micro-entrepreneurs, market traders, smallholder farmers, and the rural poor. The overarching goal is to protect the value of assets, avoid increases in debt, and provide an alternative means of meeting basic needs. The activity's specific objectives are to improve food security of targeted households, protect livelihoods by reducing negative coping strategies, and reduce protracted economic shocks for targeted entities. To achieve these objectives, the program targets market traders and micro-entrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, and individuals affected by the Ebola virus epidemic. The activity seeks to serve people directly affected by the Ebola virus epidemic or living in communities that suffered heavily during that time. Progress to date indicates that GiveDirectly has completed payments under this activity, closing at 258,388 payments sent to 85,954 recipients. Follow-up data indicates that an estimated 34% of recipients are market traders or micro-entrepreneurs, 65% are smallholder farmers, 54.5% are women, and 19.8% are youth. The most common expenditure among recipients is buying things for an existing business (52.9% of recipients), followed by education for someone else (26.3%) and food (24%). The program has achieved significant milestones, including the registration of 85,954 recipients for mobile money and the participation of 85,954 individuals in USG-assisted group-based savings, micro-finance, or lending programs. The speed of grant delivery has been satisfactory, with 77.9% of recipients receiving their first payment within 40 days of first contact. Additionally, 99% of recipients have been able to withdraw transfers, and 96.3% of recipients understand key details of the activity. The usage of funds has been diverse, with recipients spending their transfers on a wide range of items. The most common expenditures include business investments, educational expenses, and food. 52.9% of recipients report spending a portion of their transfers on buying more things for an existing business, 5.6% report starting a new business with funds received through this Activity, and 7% report spending on agricultural inputs. 26.3% of recipients have spent on education for someone else, and 24% on food. 4% of recipients report saving a portion of their transfers.