Cash Transfers Buoy Displaced Families in Central African Republic
It’s still early in the western Central African Republic, but already the weekly market in Ngeguene village is buzzing with activity. Anastathie, a mother of three, moves from stall to stall, checking out the various clothes, food and household items. She greets neighbors and haggles good-naturedly with vendors when she sees something she likes.
A few hours later, Anastathie smiles as she stirs a small pot of boiling meat outside her home. Nearby, her two youngest sons, Moise and Gael, chase each other, laughing. They are trying their best not to get dirt onto their new matching outfits.
Anastathie boils meat she bought using a cash transfer she received as part of a CRS emergency response project. This meat is a rare treat for her family. The project is supported by Caritas Norway and implemented in partnership with Caritas Bouar.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
It is a good day for Anastathie. For the first time in a long time, she was able to buy some much-needed items for her family, including food, soap, clothes and a blanket. The purchases were made possible thanks to the Emergency Food Security and Agricultural Assistance in Bouar project, supported by Caritas Norway and implemented by Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Bouar—a diocesan office of Caritas Central African Republic. The project supports 1,500 families affected by conflict with a series of cash transfers each worth $58.
An estimated 64% of families in this part of the country face serious difficulties accessing food. Many families do not have enough for even one meal a day. This is due to various factors, including rising food prices, climate changes that affects crop harvests, and chronic conflict in the area.
Anastathie shops for new clothes for her sons. She is using money she received as part of a CRS emergency response project supported by Caritas Norway and implemented in partnership with Caritas Bouar.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
Like many people, Anastathie's family was displaced following armed attacks on their village last year. While they have since moved into an abandoned home in a nearby village, they have had to start their lives from scratch. During the attacks, they lost their land and livestock—which were their primary source of income—and all their belongings. Anastathie, who injured her knee while fleeing in the middle of the night, now walks with a crutch and can no longer help her husband farm.
“The kids are always saying, ‘Mom, I am hungry. Mom I want some food,’” she says. “But often, there is nothing to give them. They sip water to fill their stomachs. When there is not enough food, I have so many worries. I am constantly thinking about tomorrow and how we will survive.”
Anastathie with her two sons, Gael and Moise, who are happy to have new clothes.
Photo by Jennifer Lazuta/CRS
The cash assistance allows Anastathie and other families to eat more food—and better quality food—each day. This results in more children going to school, because many families keep their children home from school when they have nothing to eat for breakfast or lunch.
“These cash distributions have really helped because we are able to start rebuilding our lives,” she says. “I can buy what we need, and sometimes even some extra treats—like this meat. It is such a blessing.”
Anastathie, who recently planted a garden next to their home, says she is looking forward to the first vegetable harvest and eventually selling extra produce and other small items at the market. Tonight, though, she says she is just looking forward to enjoying a “real” meal with her family and watching her children fall asleep with full stomachs under the warmth of their new blanket.
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The Emergency Food Security and Agricultural Assistance in Bouar project is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via Caritas Norway. As part of two, three-month emergency response projects, CRS and Caritas Bouar seek to save lives, alleviate suffering and protect the human dignity of conflict-affected families in the northwest Central African Republic. The project consists of cash transfers for improved food security and a series of conflict management trainings for community leaders.
