Eastern Africa: Q3 Regional Cash and Voucher Assistance Overview

In the third quarter of 2025, Eastern Africa’s Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) response disbursed US$151.1 million across seven countries through 143 organizations, reaching 6.3 million people. Transfers surged in September to US$62.9 million, driven largely by large-scale operations in Somalia and Sudan, which together accounted for nearly two-thirds of regional allocations, followed by Ethiopia. Monthly reach increased from 3.6 million people in July to 6.9 million in September, reflecting the scale-up of assistance in areas facing acute humanitarian needs. The Food Security sector accounted for the largest share of transfers at US$109.1 million, complemented by US$35.6 million in Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA), highlighting persistent humanitarian needs amid deteriorating Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) levels. Partners demonstrated operational flexibility in delivery mechanisms, using mobile money (37 per cent), cash-in-hand (26 per cent) and bank transfers (25 per cent) to ensure timely and accessible assistance. National non-governmental organizations accounted for 64 per cent of implementing partners, reflecting continued progress on localization and strengthened national delivery capacity, particularly in Somalia. United Nations agencies and international non-governmental organizations also played key roles in implementation. The scale-up occurred amid global funding constraints, complex operational environments and access challenges. OCHA coordination supported a nationally anchored and regionally coherent CVA architecture, enabling timely, cost-efficient and adaptable assistance to address life-threatening food insecurity and multidimensional vulnerability.