In 2018, humanitarian cash and voucher assistance (CVA) totalled $4.7bn, and it continues to grow as humanitarian agencies increasingly begin their interventions with the question “Why not cash?”¹ Expectations are high that cash will allow for more effective humanitarian action. But how do people affected by crisis view cash-based aid and its recent scale-up?

When asking affected communities about the relevance of humanitarian aid, most respondents say that they do not feel their needs are being met by the aid they receive. Whether respondents ask for different aid or more of the same, their primary needs are basic: cash, food and shelter top the list of unmet needs.