SDG 1: No Poverty
Somalia’s financial ecosystem is dominated by mobile money. 86 percent of people fifteen and older have access to mobile phones, and 73 percent of them use mobile money transfer.
CARE, in collaboration with Global System for Mobile Communications and Somali telecommunication companies Golis and Telesom, introduced a voice identification (Voice-ID) verification system to disburse cash assistance during humanitarian crises.
“This new system is quite fast and reduces the risk of money being sent to the wrong person,” says Maryam*, an internally displaced Voice-ID user from Hingalool in northeastern Somalia.
Before, anyone with Maryam’s phone could access her money, even though CARE teams had a fingerprinting process and other forms of verification. “Now,” she says, “we receive a voice message from the mobile operator once cash disbursement is done. To receive cash, I dial 374, press 2, and state the phrase that was recorded during the registration, which is my pin.” Once the system verifies her voice, the money is deposited.
Since its inception in 2020, the Voice-ID system has reached more than 440,000 people, providing them with timely and safe access to cash assistance. During times of crisis, regular cash support can be a lifeline for the affected people to secure daily essentials. In 2023 alone, climactic shocks and conflict displaced a record 2.9 million people in Somalia. This program is just one way the people of Somalia are showing how innovation and resilience will play a critical role in creating a livable future.
*Name has been changed.