The Triple Win: Save the Children and EcoCash Using Mobile Payments for Cash Transfers in Zimbabwe

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1 The Triple Win: Save the Children and EcoCash Using Mobile Payments for Cash Transfers in Zimbabwe

2 Today s Speakers Angeline Itai Matereke, Manager Emergencies, Save the Children, Zimbabwe Natalie Jabangwe-Morris, GM, EcoCash Mobile Financial Services

3 Save the Children, an international organization, works to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Save the Children exists in 120 countries and works on the following themes: Health and Nutrition, Child Rights Governance, Education, Child Protection, Child Poverty, Humanitarian and more. Save the Children supported programs in Zimbabwe since 1984 and recently implemented the USAID Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP), which delivered humanitarian assistance to 6,750 families through mobile money transfers. EFSP sought to improve resilience and selfsufficiency of the most vulnerable households and communities through conditional and unconditional cash transfers. Selected vulnerable households received $28 / month intended for the purchase of cereal, pulses, oil, and fresh foods. EcoCash, an innovative mobile payment solution, enables customers of Econet, the Mobile Network Operator, to complete financial transactions such as sending & receiving money, buying airtime, and paying for goods and services. EcoCash launched in Oct 2011 and is the leading mobile money service in Zimbabwe with 5.0 mn customers -- 3 times the number of all cumulative bank accounts. And 22,000 agents. Providing services to multiple NGOs to deliver mobile money bulk payments for their humanitarian assistance and development programming. Econet also has a broad strategy for social and community investment, under the "Econet in the Community" banner supporting a diverse range of charitable causes, including children orphaned by AIDS/ HIV, religious and church organizations, and an annual scholarship program providing financial assistance to students from schools in 10 provinces under the Joshua Nkomo Scholarship Fund (JNSF).

4 Agenda A case study on mobile cash transfers in Zimbabwe and the partnership between EcoCash and Save the Children: How each contributed and how each benefited. Benefits of digital payments for beneficiaries Illustrates the value in going the extra mile to deliver cash transfers into transactional accounts 4

5 Building a Partnership Save the Children needed to identify an accountable, transparent, efficient, cost effective way to deliver assistance Partnership to identify a strategic solution to delivering assistance EcoCash brought experience in financial inclusion and mobile money, and an extensive national distribution network and platform making it easy and timely to reach beneficiaries in targeted communities 5

6 Value Addition Increased reach of technology and connectivity to beneficiary communities through EcoCash and Save the Children partnership Facilitated financial literacy First Steps to Financial Inclusion Employment opportunities through EcoCash agents and the Brand Ambassador program 6

7 Beneficiary Focused Secure Convenient Personalized Dignity 7

8 Triple Win! Save the Children gained a more efficient system to disburse cash transfers, and met their development goals EcoCash increased their active customer base Beneficiaries who were unfamiliar with technology and unbanked accessed a mobile money account enabling them to manage risk, build resiliency and wealth through a range of value added financial services Community development through expansion of agents to serve beneficiaries and increased demand for services 8

9 ECONET COVERAGE MAP The building blocks Econet subscriber base 9,193,000 EcoCash subscribers 4,700,000 EcoCash Subscribers 72 % of Adult Population Channels EcoCash agent network 21,000 Merchants 25,000 Econet shops 27 Econet mini-shops 42 Econet Franchises 37 Green Kiosks 1,122 Store-in-Store 80 47,308

10 Key Takeaways For relief and development organizations that disburse cash payments in your programs and operations consider how you can transition from cash to electronic payments. Start by looking at NetHope s Toolkit Explore opportunities in your market and contact Service Providers to see what type of electronic bulk payments they offer Open your own mobile wallet and learn how it works! For service providers that offer electronic bulk payments like mobile money consider how NGOs can be potential corporate customers which bring with them many retail customers. Start by contacting NGOs in your market to determine their payment needs Tailor your sales and marketing to NGOs as bulk payers based on their needs Collaborate to register and acquire NGO beneficiaries as new retail customers 10

11 Contact information Angeline Itai Matereke Natalie Jabangwe-Morris Sara Netzer Marcella Willis NetHope Payment Innovations 11