Cash is a type of current asset that can easily be converted into any other type of asset. It is a legal tender that can be used to purchase food, water, shelter, education, and anything that a person may need or want.
When ADRA chooses a specific intervention, many factors are usually considered. What was destroyed during a specific disaster? Are there working markets nearby? What are the most urgent needs at the moment? What aid has the government (and other NGOs) already given?
ADRA Philippines has a “menu” of interventions that we usually choose from: cash assistance, family food packs, emergency shelter repair kits, hygiene kits, kitchen kits, and bed kits. Each specific intervention has their own set of logistical challenges: the procurement, storage, repacking, transport to area, distribution site, all of which are considered when choosing an specific intervention for a disaster
In the case of the recent Occidental Mindoro relief operations, our target beneficiaries were those who lost their homes and fishing boats. The cash assistance may not be enough to rebuild their homes or even to purchase a new boat, but it is an “assistance” to help them with their urgent needs during this vulnerable time.
ADRA accepts and greatly prefers cash donations because it can be easily converted into the specific intervention chosen for that disaster. Through cash donations, ADRA is able to standardize the intervention, ensuring that the quality of items given is the same for all. Through cash donations, ADRA is also able to mobilize procurement closer to the affected areas which can reduce operational costs and increase the quantity of target families to provide assistance to.
ADRA would like to thank all our donors who continue to support this work.
May the Lord open up the heavenly storehouses and pour down His blessings upon you so that you may be an even greater channel of blessing to those around you, just as you have been to ADRA.