Manila (February 5, 2014) – Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative to the Philippines Angela Kearney signed yesterday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the implementation of the Emergency Unconditional Cash Transfer for vulnerable households affected by Typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas.Under the MOU,  cash grants amounting to US$100 or about P4,370 will be given to each of the 10,000 eligible households from Tacloban City and municipalities in upland areas every month for a period of six months.

UNICEF has allotted US$6 million for this initiative.

Recipients of the emergency cash grants are those of the most vulnerable sectors including pregnant and lactating women, children suffering from moderate to severe acute malnutrition or at risk of malnutrition, persons with disabilities and chronic illness, elderly persons, single-female headed households, child-headed households, and households hosting separated children.
They will be included in the Family Development Sessions under the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and will be evaluated for possible inclusion in the list of regular recipients of the program.

Sec. Soliman is grateful to UNICEF for coming up with this strategy.

“This will not only change the beneficiaries lives but it will be their hope after ‘Yolanda’,” Sec. Soliman said.

Kearney believes that providing this emergency intervention will help the vulnerable households to rebuild their lives faster.

“By making this cash grant available to the most disadvantaged, we empower households to take charge of their own healing and rebuilding,” Kearney remarked.

The cash transfer will be implemented by Action Contre la Faim (ACF), an international non-government organization that has demonstrated expertise on cash distribution, and will involve community consultations, coordination with humanitarian organizations, monitoring and post-survey. ###