In-kind and Cash-based Interventions

Cash-Based Interventions (CBI) are a modality of assistance where cash and/or vouchers (in one form or another) are provided to beneficiaries (individuals, households or community recipients) to directly purchase and access goods or services. IOM has many years of experience implementing CBI in humanitarian, development, and peace operations in various migration contexts.   

In Iran, IOM is providing in-kind or cash-based multi-sectoral assistance to vulnerable Afghan nationals and their host communities, to ensure that the affected population has access to adequate basic goods and supplies.

Based on IOM’s strong track record of implementing cash programming worldwide, the unit has adopted a cash-based approach to deliver aid more efficiently and maintain a people-centred approach to the humanitarian response.   

Prioritization of needs and selection of vulnerable households in need of assistance is carried out in coordination with the Bureau for Aliens & Foreign Immigrants' Affairs (BAFIA) and upon consultation with provincial authorities.

Objectives

The aim of the unit is to provide immediate assistance to beneficiaries, often living in precarious conditions, and to address the urgent needs of vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities, women, and children.

This objective is achieved through modalities that enable individuals and households to prioritize their choices, guaranteeing an efficient and dignified provision of assistance.

Areas of Intervention

• Multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA)

  In 2022, 300 Afghan households (1,500 individuals) were assisted with unconditional multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) to meet their basic needs. In 2023 IOM Iran expanded the scope of monetized assistance to provide aid to 4,900 beneficiaries residing in villages of the Khoy province, which has been heavily affected by a deadly earthquake.

• In-kind assistance

  In cases where provision of in-kind assistance is deemed more appropriate, IOM Iran aims to ensure that migrants and refugees have access to the essential items they need through the procurement of non-food items (NFI).

  In 2022, the unit responded to the urgent needs of 230 households (1,150 individuals) living in the Torbat-e-Jam settlement by providing them with essential household items, such as kitchen kits, bedding kits, and heating devices. Additionally, 130 households were provided with kits, including child-specific items, in the Fariman settlement. In April 2023, IOM Iran provided hygiene kits to 1,000 vulnerable households at the Rafsanjan settlement in Kerman province.