NRC Iran initiated its own cash based Program in Iran in 2013 and has ever since been a strong advocate to develop and extend Cash Transfer Programming (CTP) in Iran.
A recent distribution of unconditional cash transfer assistance was carried out in the five provinces where NRC Iran currently operates. Following home visits conducted in the provinces of Alborz, Kerman, Semnan, Qom and Tehran, 200 vulnerable Afghan households were identified and offered unconditional cash.
This initiative was funded by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA).
NRC Iran’s unconditional cash transfer programme aims to provide direct assistance, strengthen protection and improve livelihood conditions of some most vulnerable refugee households. At the end of the project, at least 1,500 of most vulnerable Afghan families will benefit from this unconditional cash assistance.
Stories of Change: Securing Legal Documentation
53-year-old Zeinab has been living in Iran for the past 20 years as a refugee. A widower and a mother of five, Zeinab strives to find work as a house cleaner to support her family. As a single female head of household and diagnosed with diabetes, Zeinab is identified by the Government of Iran as being in “the most vulnerable refugee” category– a category, which can enable increase access to public services.
Although Zeinab is a registered refugee (and Amayesh card-holder) and four of her five children were born in Iran, her family also faces a great challenge: these children do not hold any legal identification.
Children born to parents that are Amayesh card-holders (documented refugees) are automatically considered by the Iranian Government as refugees themselves. But to prove parentage, a birth certificate is requested. Yet, only refugees giving birth in hospitals and in house – with the presence of a midwife – are eligible to receive official birth certificates.
Four Zeinab’s children were born at home with no midwife presence. Thus, they do not hold birth certificates to prove their relationship with their mother and cannot be delivered any legal documents in Iran.
Thanks to humanitarian cash assistance and legal counselling, Zeinab and her children have been able to undergo DNA and genetic tests to prove their family ties. NRC worked in close collaboration with local authorities and when the parentage was established, all her children were officially recognised as family members and received appropriated legal documents, which are critical to secure a safe and constructive life in Iran.
“My children are so happy,” said Zeinab delighted and she underlined that her children can now access education, and health insurance. “In the future, they will also be able to get married and to have children, who will be delivered legal documents from the day they are born,” she continued. Children born to even one parent without legal documents are not entitled to any legal documents themselves.
For 20-year-old Fatemeh, access to legal documentation has been a game-changer. “I used to be a top student in informal schools and now I can go to university to become a doctor. All my dreams are coming true,” she said.
“Before receiving legal documents, I imagined I would become a housewife; sitting in the corner of the world and not having any impact on the society around me. Now it’s different. In the next ten years, I can see myself as a successful doctor in my community,” Fatemeh concluded.
Stories of Change: Strengthening Protection
The thirty-two-year-old Afghan refugee, Mohammad, was noticeably better off than many of his compatriots. Father of two children, he was a construction worker with fairly substantial and secure sources of income. But his living conditions changed overnight.
Mohammad was severely injured in a petrol station-related accident. As a result, he could no longer carry out the heavy labour required from a construction worker. He became unemployed and his family struggled to make ends meet and also to cover the medical care costs of his injuries.
But, thanks to the unconditional cash assistance provided by NRC and other humanitarian actors in the country, Mohammad has now not only received some financial support, but he has also been empowered to decide how he will use it -taking into consideration his personal needs and priorities. And he intends to use this cash to secure a home for himself and his family.
Building Humanitarian Cash Assistance Capacity
In 2017, with the support of ECHO, NRC will provide Cash Transfer Programming (CTP) trainings with external and internal cash assistance experts. These trainings will cover assessments, analysis of CTP suitability in Iran, and the designing and monitoring of CTP. This will further enhance the development of common cash approaches and strengthen the coordination of all stakeholders.
The names, identities and certain details of the beneficiaries have been changed or withheld to protect their privacy.
