INSIGHTS: Cash and Voucher Assistance for Social Protection - Building Resilient Systems for Complex Settings

Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) is reshaping social protection—delivering faster, more transparent, and more dignified support to the most vulnerable people.   

Globally, however, social protection gaps remain vast. According to the World Bank’s State of Social Protection Report 2025, while 4.7 billion people gained access in the past decade, two billion across low- and middle-income countries remain uncovered or inadequately covered. Under current trajectories full protection could take decades. 

The scale of exclusion underscores the potential of CVA—as part of broader digital systems—to expand reach efficiently, reduce overheads, and deliver targeted support even in complex environments. 

At CGA Technologies, we know that the strongest CVA social protection systems are a combination of context driven design, secure, interoperable and adaptable technology and the enabling environment within which they operate. With more than a decade of experience designing and implementing them, here’s some of what we’ve learnt: 

The single most important step in designing social protection CVA systems is recognising that no two environments are the same, even within the same country. Without a clear understanding of both the realities and needs of diverse vulnerable populations and the different environments in which the system will operate, even the most advanced tools and carefully crafted policies risk missing their mark.

For example, programmes in fragile and low-resource settings often face challenges such as weak connectivity, limited financial infrastructure, diverse languages, or low levels of digital literacy.  

We work closely with clients and stakeholders to ground system design to local context, ensuring we creatively adapt our tech-tools and how they are implemented to the conditions in which they operate now and in the future.  

Starting with a strong foundation ensures we build programmes that guarantee access and usability, promote trust and accountability, are resilient and adaptable to changing needs and future shocks, and maximise impact by linking to existing government systems. 

At the core of any effective CVA programme are the digital tools. They enable scale, transparency, and accountability, and ensure that support reaches the people who need it most. Here's our top ‘must have’s’: 

1. Offline functionality: Connectivity gaps should never mean exclusion. Our systems are built to operate in remote areas through hybrid solutions such as preloaded smart cards or mobile wallets that function offline and synchronise periodically. This ensures continuity of support even where networks are unreliable.
2. Flexibility and limitless expansion: Needs change—and systems must evolve with them. Our tools are designed to expand both horizontally (to more households) and vertically (to more types of programmes), enabling governments to scale up in response to shocks. This flexibility supports anticipatory schemes, such as delivering cash before droughts or floods, as well as rapid post-disaster responses.
3. Interoperability: Strong systems don’t stand alone. We build platforms that “talk” to one another—integrating with existing government registries, financial service providers, and humanitarian programmes—reducing duplication and ensuring more coherent, efficient delivery.
4. Secure by Design: Security can never be an afterthought. We develop all our systems with security as a core requirement through the lifecycle of the system, including integrating biometric or PIN-based authentication to reduce fraud. Our digital tools are used to support some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in the community; keeping their identity and their data safe and secure is fundamental to providing effective support. 
5. Transparency and accountability: Real-time dashboards allow programme managers, policymakers, and even communities to track disbursements and identify anomalies. This level of transparency strengthens accountability and builds public trust in social protection systems.
6. Precision Targeting: Accuracy is essential when resources are scarce. Our digital platforms enable dynamic targeting so that assistance reaches those most in need, with flexibility to adjust as crises emerge. 
7. Flexible delivery modalities: Support delivered via our systems can be tailored to context, including physical cash, vouchers, or mobile money, given as one off or regular payments or even targeted top ups during shocks or crises. 
    

Technology alone doesn’t deliver impact; success depends on the ecosystem that surrounds it. We work with ministries to strengthen their policies, build capacity, and develop processes that ensure that, once built, CVA systems function effectively and sustainably, including: 

• Policy alignment: We support governments to develop national social protection plans and strategies, with embedded CVA systems within national frameworks and regulations, so programmes are coherent and targeted in building resilience of the most vulnerable citizens.
• Local capacity building: We train technical teams, community actors, and government staff to manage and scale systems, ensuring social protection programmes remain effective and responsive in the long term.
• Holistic & cross-cutting integration: We enable systems to address the multidimensional aspects of poverty (i.e. health, education, livelihoods, nutrition) —our systems can support school enrolment and attendance through cash transfers to learners as well improve nutrition through nutrition vouchers —maximising and/or complementing the impact of the countries’ social safety nets.
• Process resilience: Our systems are modular by design - able to deliver emergency cash transfers to citizens during humanitarian crises, while also strengthening their long-term resilience through government-led programmes. 
   

Here’s just some examples of how we’ve put these principles into practice to deliver impact on the ground. 

Sierra Leone: The Girls in School Initiative (GISI) is a unique data-led Cash+ programme providing vulnerable in school and formerly out-of-school girls with lightly conditional monthly cash payments aimed at increasing school attendance and retention rates. Implemented by CGA and funded by our parent organisation Corus International the programme leverages national data infrastructure to identify and monitor at-risk girls for support. Each girl receives a monthly mobile-money payment tied directly to her school attendance, while CGA field teams monitor participation, follow-up on absences, and connect participants to complementary services like health or social welfare. Programme delivery is powered by three interoperable systems:  

• Wi De Ya, an education enrolment and attendance system developed by CGA for the Sierra Leone Teaching Services Commission used for targeting and attendance monitoring
• CGA’s Cash Tool used to manage monthly payments and Grievance Redress Mechanism, and
• Corus3D, CGA’s comprehensive programme delivery and data management digital platform, for case management and referrals.  

The combination of using existing national data systems, our own interoperable tools and working in alignment with government make GISI both sustainable and rooted in the local system. 

Wi De Ya is the Sierra Leone name for HereMIS, CGA’s education monitoring system. Watch our video to find out more: HereMIS: A data-driven approach to improving education systems  

Malawi: In partnership with the Government of Malawi and KfW, CGA rebuilt the Social Cash Transfer Programme (SCTP) Management Information System, supporting more than 300,000 vulnerable households. TargetMIS, the redeveloped system, introduced efficiency and flexibility—streamlining beneficiary registration, payment scheduling, and grievance redress. It was also built for long-term scalability, enabling the government to expand horizontally (to more households) and vertically (to different types of support, such as shock-responsive top-ups). By embedding the MIS within national policy frameworks and training local teams to operate it, CGA ensured that the system is fully owned and sustained by government. 

Ukraine / Poland: When war displaced millions in 2022, CGA Technologies supported a large-scale emergency cash response for displaced people in Ukraine and Poland, working alongside Corus International, Lutheran World Federation, UNHCR, and local partners. Over 50,000 households received multi-purpose cash transfers, with additional targeted support provided to vulnerable people along transit corridors east of Kyiv. To ensure speed and accountability, CGA conducted rapid field scoping, mapped financial service providers, and consulted communities to design inclusive systems. We deployed tools for assessment, targeting, and real-time monitoring, enabling partners and ministries to track disbursements and adjust quickly. By embedding the programme within existing humanitarian and government coordination structures, the response demonstrated how adaptable digital transfer systems can deliver at scale in times of crisis.  

Ukraine: CGA also partnered with the Ministry of Social Policy to strengthen E-dopomoga, Ukraine’s national social protection platform. CGA built a Digital Partner Interface that allowed international NGOs and donors to connect directly to the government system. This innovation cut registration times for partners from months to hours, while safeguarding participant consent and data protection. The interface also improved targeting, onboarding, and reporting—ensuring that cash assistance reached verified citizens quickly and securely. By embedding this tool within government systems, CGA enhanced trust, coordination, and accountability during a crisis. 

South Sudan: CGA developed the PlanCard electronic voucher system to support food assistance in one of the most fragile operating environments globally. Designed for families facing conflict and displacement, the system enables secure access to food and essential goods even in areas with weak infrastructure. Participants receive digital vouchers on smartcards, which can be redeemed at pre-approved vendors. The platform strengthens accountability by linking each transaction to a unique card holder, while real-time dashboards allow programme managers and partners to monitor disbursements and flag irregularities. By aligning with national structures and NGO partners, PlanCard demonstrates how robust digital tools can function reliably in low-connectivity contexts. 

Mali: In partnership with our sister organisation, Lutheran World Relief, CGA adapted the Corus3D platform to deliver emergency nutrition vouchers to 2,000 children in eastern Mali. Traditional paper vouchers were often lost or misused, so QR code vouchers were introduced and linked directly to individual children. Parents presented the vouchers at health centres, where staff assessed needs and provided appropriate nutrition support. The Corus3D mobile app scanned each QR code, automatically linking the child, voucher, and redeemed assistance in near real-time. Programme managers could immediately track who had received support and address gaps, strengthening accountability. By embedding this innovation within existing humanitarian programming, Corus3D delivered both speed and assurance in a complex emergency setting. 

Read more about our social protection and CVA work