Footage by Isabel Coello
Edited by Veronica Wijaya
Produced by EU/ ECHO, 2017.
Since December 2013, 274 000 people have fled the Central African Republic (CAR) to Cameroon, escaping horrific violence in their home country. Their plight is often forgotten. From the beginning of this crisis, EU Humanitarian Aid has provided basic assistance to both refugees and host populations in terms of shelter, food, water and primary healthcare. As the situation drags on, assistance adapts too. Traditional emergency food distributions have been replaced by cash transfers, a method of aid much preferred by refugees themselves. For refugees who have had their lives torn apart by displacement, cash transfers provide the dignity of choice; having the option to choose what food they buy and eat each month brings back a sense of agency and normality. An EU humanitarian expert in Cameroon explains how it all works.
Link to EU/ECHO post: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/field-blogs/videos/cash-transfers-provide-choice-central-african-refugees-cameroon_en