“The new system is very fast and reduces the risk of money being sent to the wrong person,” said Mariam*, an internally displaced Voice ID user from Hingalur in north-eastern Somalia.
Previously, anyone with her mobile phone could access her money, despite the CARE team employing fingerprinting and other verification methods.
“Now, once my cash payment is complete, I receive a voice message from my mobile operator. To collect my cash, I dial 374, press 2 and say the phrase I recorded when I signed up – this is my PIN,” she says.
Once the system authenticates her voice, the money is deposited.
First the cash, then the rain
CARE distributes the majority of its funds as emergency aid, helping people in need cope with a range of shocks, displacement, floods and droughts, as they get back on their feet and work to stabilize the rest of their lives.
“We received emergency cash assistance of $60 per month for three months,” says Hari*, an internally displaced person living in the camp. “Now my children have something to eat three times a day. Thanks to Allah, we have been able to survive on this money. We hope that the rains will come soon so that we can return home and tend to our livestock.”
“We have managed to buy groceries like sugar, flour, rice, cooking oil, drinking water and vegetables. We can now afford to go to the nearby clinic for treatment,” adds Ibad*, another participant in the programme.
“I was a street vendor in Ras Anod before the conflict destroyed our lives,” says Halima*, another participant in the program. “I lost several loved ones and now I live in the camp with my three daughters. After registering, we received $75 per month for three months, which allowed my family to have food and water, and also helped us buy a door for our small temporary shelter.”
