Over 1 million refugees from South Sudan crossed the border into Uganda as of 2016, and more refugees are arriving in Uganda each day.

In order to efficiently provide adequate aid to these refugees, more and more humanitarian organizations and international non-governmental organizations have decided to convert in-kind support to cash-based transfers. These transfers are provided to people with special needs, such as pregnant women and the elderly, or refugees taking part in ‘cash for work’ programmes (e.g., to construct community rubbish pits, build access roads, work on farms or plant trees). Cash-based transfers can be made directly to the beneficiary’s digital wallet on his/her mobile phone.

To test the feasibility of digital payments to refugees, the UNCDF MM4P programme partnered with DanChurchAid and Airtel in Bidi Bidi, one of the larger settlements in Northern Uganda.

Results of this pilot are shared in this Briefing Note and videos.