Mobile Money Empowered Me to Make My Own Decisions for My Family on My Time

In the fall of 2014, Save the Children joined with USAID to implement a new aid programme aimed at relieving food scarcity in the chronically vulnerable districts of Binga and Kariba in Zimbabwe. The resulting mobile cash transfer programme assisted more than 6,700 households during the lean harvest season, in order to prevent child malnutrition, which otherwise is very prevalent in these regions. Furthermore, the mobile cash transfer programme contributed to a number of other benefits for the partaking communities. For instance, beneficiaries gained more control of their schedules, participants received better accessibility to cash, beneficiaries were able to diversify their diets, and local vendors benefited from patrons with greater purchasing power. Overall, communities were left feeling more empowered following the programme.