Cashless approaches to consumption — especially in societies faced with recovering from calamity — are misconceived. Yet the world of disaster management has become overly fixated on providing relief via digital approaches that they perceive to be entirely cashless. This contradicts not only what those affected by disaster think about money and how they use it, but ignores how cash works and is actually managed for society. As a result, the humanitarian community is failing to give due consideration to the full range of ‘cash management’ options available… an approach which may not always be in the best interests of those struggling to recover from disaster.
Supporting Aid Professionals Everywhere