Encampment and Cash-Based Transfer: Concord and Controversy in the World Food Programme’s Pilot Project in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania

Abstract

Around two thirds of all refugees are stuck in their refugee situations for a long time, and many refugees are confined to isolated camps and provided the bare minimum in kind. This article examines the effects of a pilot cash-based transfer (CBT) program in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, one such place of protracted displacement. The article shows that CBT is promising for many reasons; however, it also demonstrates that these promises cannot be fully realized as long as encampment policies persist. We argue in favor of ending encampment and expanding CBT, but the Tanzanian government has maintained the encampment while terminating CBT half a year after the case study ended.