Vulnerable families in Tonga have received emergency multi-purpose cash hand-outs from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunamis in January.

The IOM along with MORDI Tonga Trust has paid out a total of USD176,000 since the disbursement began in April.

The cash transfers were made via Digicel Tonga’s My Cash App.

IOM said the cash assistance program addresses the urgent needs of 800 families, with each family receiving $489 pa’anga (USD 220). 

If two or three nuclear families are living together in one house, each family is treated separately and are eligible to receive the cash assistance individually.

The cash assistance program has reached families in Tongatapu, as well as relocated families from the Ha’apai islands in central Tonga. It also registered some families in ‘Eua via phone.   

MORDI Tonga Trust

MORDI-Tonga Trust led the registration and cash distribution, with technical advice provided by IOM’s Cash Emergency Specialist, Hail Khalaf, and additional support from IOM Tonga staff.

Khalaf said IOM was proud to work side by side with the MORDI-TT to ensure displaced and vulnerable families caused by the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami event were not being left behind.

So far, IOM and MORDI had conducted a rapid beneficiary registration and verification to identify eligible beneficiaries, based on which families meet certain vulnerability criteria, such as having young children or a family member with illness or disability.

The registration assessment was carried out by MORDI enumerators and followed COVID-19 safety measures. Once the registration was complete, eligible families received a one-off transfer of $489 pa'anga via the MyCash app, he stated.

“The cash transfer indirectly supports local businesses, where beneficiaries spend their cash. To ensure effectiveness of the cash distribution, IOM carried out a market assessment, including discussions with shop-owners.”

IOM and MORDI are undertaking a Post Distribution Monitoring Assessment to review the experience of households that received cash and improve future efforts in Tonga.