PlanCard (Up2U) – electronic voucher system

Voucher schemes, giving vulnerable households access to food and essential items, have become an increasingly important way of providing assistance to vulnerable people in times of need. In Torit, South Sudan, Plan International provides food and non-food item (NFI) baskets to vulnerable households, including refugees, via a voucher scheme.

Originally, beneficiaries queued in public places to receive hard copy vouchers. Not only did this create a security risk to both staff and beneficiaries, it also meant any beneficiaries who could not attend distribution missed out on their entitlement.

To address these issues, Plan International commissioned CGA to develop PLANCard, an electronic voucher system.

PLANCard is a secure, smart-card online payment and value system, accessible on Android phones and using state-of-the-art data encryption. It allows beneficiaries to use data cards to purchase their entitlements from approved traders throughout the month according to household need. The system uses a secure cloud-based core-database and dashboard (https://plancard.org) and can be used offline, making it suitable for use in low-network areas.

Initially, the system was piloted among 400 households and 10 selected traders. However, the system proved so successful it has moved from pilot stage to a full-scale worldwide product.

The system developed by CGA is scalable for use in multiple countries and contexts, can be integrated with other systems, is GDPR compliant and has built in donor audit processes. 

Output

There are currently 1437 PLANCard beneficiaries in Torit. Each can use their PLANCard and monthly entitlement to purchase 39 different types of food and essential items from 22 local traders.

Download UP2U - English.pdf