MasterCard Transforms Aid Distribution
September 24 2015 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
New aid network delivers transparency,
efficiency and safety to humanitarian agencies
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Humanitarian organizations are increasingly asked to provide aid
in a climate of political and economic unrest.
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To address this challenge, MasterCard today launched the
MasterCard Aid Network, an end-to-end, non-financial service
designed to streamline aid distribution even in the absence of
telecommunications infrastructure. Now, impacted populations can
secure basic needs swiftly with the simple dip of a card.
“With MasterCard Aid Network, we are transforming the way NGOs
and other aid agencies can deliver support to people in need,” said
Walt Macnee, vice chairman of MasterCard. “We spent the past two
years working with humanitarian organizations to develop a solution
that works for everyone involved – populations in need, aid
organizations, local merchants and donors.”
The network has been tested and proven in real-life situations
-- with Save the Children in Yemen, where approximately 41 percent
of the population are unable to meet their basic food needs as a
result from civil unrest and war, and in the Philippines with World
Vision to help microentrepreneurs rebuild businesses after Typhoon
Haiyan. In both countries, MasterCard Aid Network delivered greater
efficiency and transparency beyond the cumbersome traditional paper
voucher model.
“MasterCard Aid Network unequivocally holds great potential for
helping children and families around the world,” said Carolyn
Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children. “And, since the
system is a non-financial system that does not need connectivity to
process transactions, it was easy to deploy, helping to reduce risk
to our staff.”
The chip-enabled card can be pre-loaded with a parcel of
eligible physical goods – from food to medicine to shelter – and
distributed to populations in need. Participating merchants are
equipped with a visual, user-friendly terminal. Beneficiaries only
need to dip their card, select the desired items, such as weekly
groceries, by tapping the corresponding photos on a screen, and
enter a PIN to safely confirm their transaction and receive their
goods.
“Our staff, vendors and aid beneficiaries were able to quickly
adopt and use the system,” said George Fenton, Director of
Humanitarian Operations Services of World Vision. “It also gave our
field staff the ability to quickly add or restrict items depending
on the type of intervention, saving us time and cost.”
According to a recent report by the High Level Panel on
Humanitarian Cash Transfers, the humanitarian system is under
severe stress. With nearly 60 million people around the world
displaced by conflict in 2014, and 218 million people a year
affected by natural disasters, organizations need new tools to meet
the rising demand for aid.
With the MasterCard Aid Network, these organizations now have a
technology solution that enables them to:
- Rapidly Deploy the Service –
Simplified training, a web-based aid program set-up and no need to
integrate with local financial service providers enables faster aid
delivery.
- Operate in remote, inaccessible
locations – Merchants do not require connectivity to be able to
conduct a transaction, so the humanitarian interventions can be
deployed anywhere.
- Reduce Costs and Risks – Cards
are distributed once and reused for each transaction, eliminating
the need for staff travel for voucher distributions and
collections. Beneficiaries go directly to the merchants to collect
their aid.
- Expedite Payment to Merchants –
Transactions are digitally captured, eliminating the counting of
paper vouchers and record keeping and enabling aid organizations to
speed up payments to their vendors.
- Increase Transparency – Unlike
paper voucher systems, NGO staff can see the actual items a
beneficiary purchase with their vouchers and quickly review
merchant reports, eliminating concerns of voucher fraud.
- Empower Beneficiaries with
Technology – The chip cards offer a first step towards
financial inclusion by providing experience with a payment
tool.
This continues the company’s support of the development
community, including the recently announced partnership with the
Food Agricultural Organization (FAO) to create an innovative new
alliance against hunger.
About MasterCard
MasterCard (NYSE:MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology
company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s
fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers,
financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in
more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and
solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping,
traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more
secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter
@MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction
Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement
Bureau.
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MasterCardMediaRyan Erenhouse,
914-249-3176ryan_erenhouse@mastercard.com
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