HIGHLIGHTS
Each returning IDP family will receive a cash transfer of approximately US$250.
1.6 million people affected by the monsoon floods in 2015.
Government sends 54 million flood early warning SMS messages.
Findings from Pakistan consultations to feed into 2016 World Humanitarian Summit.
FIGURES
Estimated IDPs in KP and FATA (UNHCR)
1.2 million
Expected returnees to FATA in 2015 million
Estimated returnees to FATA since 2008 (UNHCR;
Government)
3.4 million
Empowering Women through the Electronic Cash Transfer Programme in FATA
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) have historically been one of the most underdeveloped regions of Pakistan, with almost 60 per cent of the population living below the poverty line of US$1.25 per day. Literacy rates are at 17.5 per cent, with female literacy at only 3 per cent. Under these circumstances, the widespread displacement of FATA residents to camps and spontaneous settlements in early 2014 created unprecedented challenges for both the displaced population and the Government response.
An estimated 75 per cent of the displaced population are women and children. The humanitarian community and the Government of Pakistan, through the FATA Disaster Management Authority (FDMA), support displaced people by providing Government assistance through electronic cash transfers.
Cash assistance is delivered through Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards and mobile transfers to Subscription Identity Module (SIM) cards. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and FDMA jointly collect data on families passing through embarkations points, and distribute SIM and ATM cards to more than 300,000 registered families by the end of 2016. To date, more than 60,000 returning families have received these cash grants. According to FDMA, around 21 per cent of these returning households were femaleheaded.
Providing SIM and ATM cards to female-headed households is made more challenging due to several factors including: social norms that restrict the mobility of females and their interaction with men outside of immediate family; low rates of female literacy; and a lack of familiarization with mobile phone and ATM technology. Following effective advocacy by the Government with the support of the UN, all registered returning female-headed households now receive SIMs and ATM cards to access cash upon return.
Each returning family receives PKR25,000 (approximately US$250). Of the total funds distributed, an estimated PKR300 million will be for female-headed households. Previously, many femaleheaded households were excluded from both IDP registration and cash compensation for various reasons including not having a national identity card; exacerbating their vulnerability. This effort empowers women to assume a more active role in the return process. It has also helped reduce the use of negative coping mechanisms by femaleheaded households including reducing food intake, boys and girls leaving school to work, early marriages and assuming debt to finance agricultural activities.
Khan Auro, a recent returnee, states that the way the cash was dispersed was not an issue despite the lack of a bank in Khyber Agency. “We travelled to Peshawar to withdraw the funds, and to use the card at authorized EasyPaisa shops. I received the money in three installments.” The money has enabled her to reconstruct her modest dwelling, putting a roof over the heads of her eleven children.
The Government and the World Bank are planning to use the same cash transfer mechanism for livelihood and housing grants. The World Bank has already committed to loaning the Government PKR7.8 billion ($75 million) for IDPs returning to FATA.
This news will come as a relief to returnees like Jaan Bibi, who recently returned with her family to Bara, Khyber Agency. Jaan’s house had been almost totally destroyed and the roof had collapsed. She used most of the money to reconstruct their home and purchase basic furnishings. While her four sons are financially independent, she is still responsible for her two daughters, both of whom are unmarried. “I used to work in the fields, but I cannot do that anymore because of the security situation and the curfew,” she says. “This money has been a support for us. It allowed us to rebuild our home, but now it has run out. I am worried. I have daughters that still depend on me until they get married.”