ERAID: Starting today for a better tomorrow

When an emergency occurs, a high amount of assistance is mobilized.

International agencies, NGOs, and governments start allocating funds and implementing programs to help affected populations recover. Distributing cash is regarded as one of the most efficient mechanisms to assist those in greatest need. Cash Transfers have proven their effectiveness in different countries and contexts, so why do cash transfer programs fall short in emergencies?

Common Issues when distribuiting Cash in emergencies

Lack of appropriate technology and outdated or no information cause delays in implementing cash transfers. Aid organizations spend so much time collecting the same data, overlapping their efforts and causing inefficient use of resources. When time is of the essence, these issues greatly affect people’s urgent needs.

Non specialized agents struggle with the lack of adequate technology or internet access to act fast and efficiently. Corruption and fraud appear, and agencies, governments, and affected populations feel overwhelmed by the situation.

ERAID: Emergency Recovery Aid 

To overcome these challenges, Ayala Consulting has designed ERAID, a solution comprised of hardware, software, and devoted specialized staff to deliver cash transfers to the beneficiaries in less than three months.

ERAID ensures immediate and reliable targeting, enrolment, payments, case management, and monitoring processes in complex contexts even if no formal agents or structures are available. ERAID has been designed taking into account various needs. It is easily adaptable to meet donors’ objectives, quick to implement by non-specialized staff, and reliable to address beneficiaries’ needs.

Ayala Consulting’s ERAID specialists support government personnel by providing training and assistance, and supervising all operations with the required hardware and software. ERAID uses GPS coordinates and tablet-based software to speed up the targeting process immediately after the event, collecting all relevant data.

Beneficiaries’ registration is conducted during the enrolment phase, even if no IDs are available, using biometric verification through fingerprint or iris recognition, thus, making the use of paper unnecessary. This minimizes inclusion errors, risk of fraud, and guarantees transparency for beneficiaries.

Payments can be made before three months even when infrastructure does not exist, nor an internet connection or formal payment agencies are available. During the Case Management phase, location updates from those displaced after the event is rapidly captured using ERAID GPS. All updated information facilitates monitoring tasks and provides the required data to design long term programs.

ERAID hardware, software, and specialized staff, help decision-makers through reliable up-to-date data to distribute cash immediately even in the most extreme situations.

The ER Aid tested methodology and technological innovations make it possible to overcome these obstacles.

• Based on real experiences of carrying out data collection, program design, and implementation in a variety of countries and situations around the world.
• Mobile data collection with tablets for planning and fieldwork, feeds directly into the Management Information System (MIS) facilitating shared use of the data. 

• Enrollment Hardware Kit provided with all the tools needed to verify data and record changes, ensuring greater accuracy.

• ER Aid MIS and program cycle design include all necessary elements to transition to a long-term social protection program in reconstruction, to increase the resilience of the most vulnerable families.

More information

Francisco Ayala: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Office in Quito: (+593) 22260950 2260951