Cash Based Initiatives in Malian Refugee Camps providing Autonomy and Self-Reliance to Refugees
In Mangaize refugee camp – one of the three refugee camps for Malian refugees in the Tilaberry region, groups of women are busy making traditional Malian crafts from leather which they have bought and dyed themselves. They have the money to buy this leather due to a new ‘Cash for NFI’ initiative which was introduced in the camp in July 2015. Prior to the introduction of this new cash based initiative, the population of more than 7,000 people in the Managaize camp received NFIs through a direct distribution system. Although this system covered the basic needs of most of the refugees, it resulted in increased dependency and deprived them of their autonomy and the capacity to choose on what to spend their money. “Now that we have cash, we can go to the market when we want and buy what we want, we can have better quality homes and we can invest our money” says Fatimat Kouti, an elderly female refugee who, like many other women in the camp, is the head of a large household. In fact, the majority of households within the camp are headed by women.
According to the President of the Malian refugees in Mangaize camp - Mohomed Hamoud “the cash transfer system is much better than the distribution. Before, there were issues with people occasionally being forgotten from lists, and due to logistical issues, the distributions were not always regular. However the new system guarantees that every household receives their money every month, nobody is complaining”.
The 10,000FCFA monthly distribution allows households to fulfill their basic needs as regards to NFIs, and also enables them to use remaining money to invest in activities for the future. In Mangaize camp, there are a number of women’s groups who hope to save enough money to open small businesses together to sell their produce. These women’s groups also provide assistance within the camp, through baking cakes and selling small food items and giving the proceeds to elderly people who require special assistance. Others intend to open accounts where they can save a small amount on a monthly basis, to enable them to rebuild their lives and homes when they eventually return home to Mali.
In addition to the successful introduction of the Cash for NFIs project, a new initiative is being piloted in the camps, known as the ‘Contract Approach’. This provides refugees with the option of receiving double the monthly cash distribution for 18 months. In return they must sign a contract that at the end of the 18 month period, they will no longer receive financial assistance. This is integral to UNHCR’s approach for 2016 which encourages integration and independence for refugees. If each household receives 20,000FCFA per month, it will enable them to invest their money in income-generating activities, and eliminate dependency on humanitarian assistance. As stated by the Vice President of the refugees in Mangaize camp – Aminata Isafatame “of course – everyone would prefer to be autonomous, income generating activities take time and investment”. In addition to increasing the monthly cash distribution, NGO partners are carrying out trainings with the refugees on the development of income generating activities and businesses.
The mood amongst the refugees is positive and it is clear that all are planning for the future, whether it be the establishment of a small income generating business which will allow them to provide for themselves without humanitarian assistance, or plans to return home to rebuild their lives once again in Mali.