Cash Consortium for Iraq Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance for the Most Vulnerable Households Impacted by COVID-19 Under this proposed project, the Cash Consortium for Iraq (CCI) (represented by Mercy Corps, IRC and Oxfam) and national NGO Afkar (a sub-recipient to Oxfam for this award and not an independent CCI member), aim to meet the critical basic needs of vulnerable conflict-affected households (HH) and reduce negative coping strategies exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic while promoting coordinated and harmonized MPCA through the consortium model. 
In accordance with the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) 2020 and CCI’s Strategy 2020 - 2022, the CCI will deliver MPCA to 1,155 COVID and conflict-affected HHs in Anbar governorate to support their ability to meet a variety of critical basic needs and reduce their use of negative coping strategies. 
The CCI will also provide referrals for 116 HHs to facilitate their access to crucial civil documentation, 116 HHs to critical humanitarian services, 116 HHs to livelihood services, and 116 HHs to governmental social protection schemes, where possible. Finally, through Oxfam, the CCI will continue and expand its capacity building program for Afkar, a national NGO, in accordance with Grand Bargain commitments. 

The CCI’s mature operational presence in areas hardest hit by the conflict as well as the COVID-19 pandemic will allow CCI partners and Afkar to rapidly identify eligible HHs and deliver assistance with the speed required by the current crisis. Recognizing the inherent uncertainty in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and acute access challenges ongoing since November 2019, this infrastructure further provides CCI partners and national partners the flexibility to pivot to respond to the most acute needs as they are identified without requiring additional recruitment or operational overhead. CCI partners' presence is characterized by a community-based approach to intervention in out-of-camp settings and a vulnerability-based approach to assistance which are integral to the effective provision of assistance as well as efforts to promote social cohesion. Given the short-term nature of the proposed project, the CCI and Afkar will not work in any locations which do not already have established MPCA programming. This means that CCI and Afkar can leverage existing relationships with key governorate, municipal and community-level stakeholders to ensure community acceptance of the revised selection and vulnerability model used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mercy Corps is the lead agency and hosts the CCI Consortium Management Unit which will manage the award and provide oversight of the partner's sub-award, ensure funds are used in accordance with the agreement, and that each partner carries out activities that benefit the consortium as a whole.
Mercy Corps, IRC, Oxfam are full consortium members and along with Afkar (structured as a subrecipient to Oxfam) will be delivering MPCA to vulnerable households and provide referrals to legal and other critical services across the project’s targeted locations in Anbar and Ninewa governorates. Oxfam will expand on its capacity building program with Afkar to enable them to deliver quality MPCA.