UNHCR & Stellar Cash Assistance Pilot
UNHCR partnered with the Stellar Development Foundation to provide cash assistance to Ukrainians displaced by conflict with Russia.
Website: https://www.unhcr.org/us/
HQ: Geneva, Switzerland
Active Markets: Ukraine
Problem Addressed
Over 100 million people globally are forcibly displaced, creating the greatest need for humanitarian assistance in human history. Aid organizations are in need of innovative solutions to improve on their ability to effectively deliver aid to impacted communities, including directly to individuals, that allow aid to be used flexibly by recipients.
Project Description
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – a UN agency dedicated to providing aid and protection of refugee communities – focuses largely on the delivery of cash assistance to forcibly displaced communities to deliver impact and enable recipients to decide on how to use aid based on their own personal need.
In 2022 and 2023, the UNHCR worked alongside the United Nations International Computing Centre (UNICC) to pilot Stellar Aid Assist, the Stellar blockchain network’s aid-disbursement solution, to deliver direct cash assistance to Ukrainians displaced by the war with Russia. Pilot partners included digital wallet provider Vibrant, MoneyGram, stablecoin provider Circle, and the Stellar Development Foundation.
Funds were disbursed through Stellar’s blockchain rails and delivered to directly to recipient digital wallets via smartphone to help cover basic needs, food, medical care, and heating during the winter.
Recipients cashed out funds at any global MoneyGram location, including the over 4,500 locations that were available in Ukraine at that time.
Progress to date
The pilot was launched in 2022. Stellar delivered the aid, estimating that organizations would have to exceed 100,000 transactions before paying anything in transaction fees. In 2023, the pilot received the “Best Impact Project Award” from Paris Blockchain Week.
Business Model
Revenue model not disclosed.
Traction
The total number of Ukrainian recipients in the program was estimated to be 100 in March 2023, but had planned to expand to up to 5,000 wallets by April of that year.