How DRC scaled up its mobile money cash assistance to support 2,500 people in Goma in March 2025

This year’s explosion of violence in and around Goma pushed over thousands of people into displacement. For a lot of them, it meant leaving the displacement sites that had previously provided them with shelter and safety, leaving them particularly vulnerable. 

In order to enable them to meet their basic needs – including food, water, shelter, health and hygiene – and reduce their vulnerability to violence, DRC scaled up its cash assistance, relying on mobile money to reach people regardless of their location.

This was done with the financial support of the Ole Kirk Fond and FCDO as part of the Enabling Affected communities to Survive and Thrive (EAST) project, implemented in collaboration with Concern Worldwide and other partners. 

Why cash assistance? 

Cash assistance is a flexible aid that can empowers families to meet their most urgent needs and mitigate their protection risks with dignity, according to their own priorities. 

One of the main goals of cash assistance is to reduce vulnerable people’s reliance on negative coping strategies, such as begging, transactional sex or skipping meals. It has a profound impact on people’s well-being and long-term resilience. 

The use of mobile money enabled DRC teams to safely and confidentially reach people in multiple locations, but also to operate at the necessary scale: in less than a month, DRC’s teams transferred money to close to 2,500 people.  

How does it work? 

After an initial assessment confirmed that mobile money transfers were possible and safe at this scale, DRC reached out to beneficiaries to better understand their needs and potential plans to move, confirm their access to mobile money and one of their preferred modalities of assistance. 

Thanks to its long-term field presence, DRC was able to promptly identify the individuals most in need. Each received the local-currency equivalent of $200, along with phones and/or SIM cards for those lacking the necessary equipment to receive their transfer.