Paper details
| Paper authors | Julia Grasset, Qundeel Khattak |
| In panel on | Contemporary Humanitarian Deadlock: People on the Move |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting |
In-Person / |
Abstract
The Route-Based Approach has emerged as a cornerstone of humanitarian response to migration, aiming to ensure continuity of aid along migratory pathways. Yet, as the experience of Venezuelan migrants in Peru reveals, this model often falters at the margins—where people are most vulnerable and least visible. Drawing on Chapter 1 of the Cash on the Move case study, this panel contribution examines how Save the Children’s mobile, multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) program challenged conventional aid delivery by reaching migrants in transit—those stranded in border towns, sleeping in public spaces, and navigating informal routes.
Through a nimble operational model—featuring itinerant teams, real-time digital targeting, and rapid 48-hour cash distributions—this initiative addressed the acute gaps in the Route-Based Approach: the inability to identify and assist highly mobile populations, the lack of coordination with local civil society, and the failure to provide timely, dignified support. The program’s integration of cash with shelter referrals, legal aid, and protection services offers a replicable framework for reaching people where they are—not just where systems expect them to be.
This presentation will explore the operational innovations, outcomes, and lessons learned from this approach, offering concrete recommendations to strengthen collective efforts and ensure no one is left behind at the border.
https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/cash-on-the-move-eng-vf.pdf
