UK Overseas Aid to Use Mobile Payments to Reach Rural Afghanis

Published on: 7th Aug 2012

­Afghanistan's Roshan today announced that it will be working with the UK's Department for International Development (DFID) to launch an emergency cash transfer project using its mobile banking service.

The project aims to aid nearly 6,000 people in currently unassisted households that have been affected by the drought across the provinces of Faryab, Jawzjan and Samangan in Afghanistan's central and northern regions.

Through Roshan's M-Paisa service, the families will receive monthly cash transfers to enable them to purchase their own food and necessities from local markets. The Emergency Cash Transfer M-Paisa project is currently scheduled to run for five months and is geared towards those households most affected by the drought.

Food provisions are one of the top priorities in drought relief efforts as families dependent on agriculture may be forced to resort to farming methods that are ultimately destructive to their land.

"Since the launch of M-Paisa, it has been our goal to leverage the technology and innovation to provide vital financial access to Afghans," said Karim Khoja, Roshan's chief executive officer. "Through our work with DFID, we can address the immediate needs of those most affected by drought and improve the well-being of communities throughout Afghanistan."

 

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