Cash and Voucher Assistance in Haiti

Concern’s Manje pi Byen (Eat Better) programme in Cité Soleil used e-vouchers as part of a wider approach that also included nutrition, protection, WASH, support to local markets, and a contribution to local economic recovery. Between August 2021 and December 2024, the programme targeted 4,400 households for food assistance, reaching an estimated 22,000 people across 14 neighbourhoods.

Through the e-voucher system, participants could buy food from pre-selected local vendors rather than relying only on direct food distributions. This gave households more say over what food they bought and when they bought it. In Manje pi Byen, the vouchers were also linked to activities that supported better nutrition practices. For families under severe pressure, this combination of support made a practical difference. One participant, Brunia, described how the programme helped her family cope during a period of bereavement, flooding and food shortages, allowing them to maintain some food consumption and manage limited supplies more carefully. 

As a direct consequence of the programme, the percentage of households with an acceptable Food Consumption Index rose from 19.86% to 63.59% / the percentage of households with moderate or severe scores on the Household Hunger Scale (HHS) fell from 51.26% to 8.97%.

A key part of the programme was its focus on supporting local markets alongside household food needs. It is important here to note that the local economy relies entirely on very small businesses, an economic fabric which can be easily eroded with displacements caused by conflict. The project contributed to local economic recovery from both ends: supply and demand. Manje pi Byen worked with local vendors to strengthen food supply in fragile urban neighbourhoods and support local market systems. The programme supported 60 vendors to source and supply quality food, Specifically providing them with business skills training, seed funding to support costs related to procurement, transportation and marketing of their stock, awareness-raising on the importance of nutritional diversity, plus a guaranteed customer base via the e-voucher scheme.

As a result, the vouchers not only helped households access food, but also helped sustain local trade and contribute to local economic resilience. Vendors reported clear benefits: one said his customer base grew from about 10 people to more than 50 or 60 through the programme. Another explained how previous support from Concern had helped her rebuild her business after the 2010 earthquake, and how she later became an approved supplier under Manje pi Byen.

Delivering CVA in Haiti is challenging. Vendors in Cité Soleil described the effects of inflation, supply shortages, delayed procurement and insecurity on their ability to keep food in stock. One vendor spoke about the risk of armed attack while transporting goods but also said that training and programme support had helped vendors continue serving participants despite these difficulties. In this kind of context, how assistance is delivered matters as much as the assistance itself. Concern’s approach placed strong emphasis on conflict sensitivity, locating vendors close to communities to reduce protection risks, and consulting communities throughout design and delivery. The programme also included complaints and response mechanisms, such as a toll-free hotline and direct reporting channels, to strengthen accountability and support changes based on community feedback.

CVA cannot address the full scale of need in Haiti on its own, but it can help households meet urgent food needs in a way that supports choice and dignity. Concern’s experience in Cité Soleil shows that, when designed carefully, e-vouchers can do more than improve food access. They can also support local vendors, strengthen local systems, contribute to economic recovery, and link emergency assistance with nutrition and protection objectives in a context of ongoing crisis.

These interventions must be conducted carefully, however. Taking from our experience in the Port-au-Prince context, this cannot be done without an in-depth analysis of markets, given that the urban population relies primarily on vendors in immediate proximity to their homes to safely access food and essential goods. Most importantly, it must be done through a community-based approach with absolute compliance with humanitarian principles of neutrality and independence, in a context where many groups may try to influence the intervention in their own interests.

The conclusion however is that these interventions remain possible and highly effective. While the current crisis may make these interventions difficult, that same crisis and its consequences are also the reasons why we need to act now.