Phillipines - B-Ready - humanitarian DIF SUMMARY
Overall Objective: Early warning systems improve disaster preparedness of local humanitarian actors and vulnerable households are more resilient through access to cash grants and pay-outs of insurance for preparedness.
Outcome 1: Vulnerable households (i.e. poor women, children, persons with disabilities) are better prepared for sudden climate events by early access to finance (cash transfers and insurance) through Oxfam-VISA pre-paid cards and knowledge about preparedness.
Outcome 2: New and technological data on climate forecasting is integrated in local preparedness plans and triggers are used for pre-disaster access to finance. Impoverished communities in disaster-prone areas are hit disproportionately hard by disasters through loss of life, suffering and economic fallback. Within these communities the most vulnerable groups, including women, children and disabled persons suffer the most severe consequences of disasters. Vulnerability is determined by poverty, the lack access to information (forecast), capacities and resources to minimize the impact of disasters. The third most disaster-prone country worldwide is the Philippines, especially the Salcedo municipality (see map) where the proposed intervention is to take place. 

Investing in disaster risk reduction and preparedness yields multiple benefits (ISDR, UNOCHA), starting with saving lives, reducing infrastructure damage and minimizing economic losses. There is evidence that each Euro invested in disaster preparedness saves between four and seven Euros which would be spent in re-sponse to a disaster (EU, 2018). Unfortunately, although critically needed for regions like Salcedo, disaster preparedness is woefully underfunded.

At the same time, we have seen a rise in cash transfer programming (CTP) within the international humanitar-ian system over the last 10 years. There is recognition that CTP can be more efficient and effective than tra-ditional in-kind assistance. However, delivering safe and timely CTP poses a significant challenge for govern-ments, civil society organizations and financial institutions after a disaster hits. Financial service infrastructure is often damaged or lacking; disaster contingency plans often lack financial components; financial literacy and awareness of CTP is often low among local humanitarian actors. Although CTP can be far more effective at reducing human and financial cost of a disaster before the event, until now CTP has been used primarily reactively for recovery, rather than proactively for preparedness and resilience. Resilience and preparedness are the first lines of defense for vulnerable communities in disaster-prone areas. To enhance community resilience, this program is combining two innovations; one, digital weather forecasting and risk modeling technologies early warning systems, and two, financial technologies that enable pre-disaster CTP. Based on smart data early warning system (first innovation), local humanitarian actors can immediately and safely deliver cash prior to a disaster (second innovation) to vulnerable households who are in the path of a disaster. Vulnerable households will receive financial resources and know-how before a disaster strikes, allowing them to effectively protect and prepare themselves and minimize the impact of natural disasters. The pre-disaster CTP offers an innovative solution to disaster risk financing, by combining a variety of (existing and new) features and the use of a quick, safe and transparent digital cash disbursement platform guarantees organizational efficiency and speed of cash distributions. Refer to Theory of Change diagram below for details. Resilience and preparedness are the first lines of defense for vulnerable communities in disaster-prone areas. To enhance community resilience, this program is combining two innovations; one, digital weather forecasting and risk modeling technologies early warning systems, and two, financial technologies that enable pre-disaster CTP. Based on smart data early warning system (first innovation), local humanitarian actors can immediately and safely deliver cash prior to a disaster (second innovation) to vulnerable households who are in the path of a disaster. Vulnerable households will receive financial resources and know-how before a disaster strikes, allowing them to effectively protect and prepare themselves and minimize the impact of natural disasters.

The pre-disaster CTP offers an innovative solution to disaster risk financing, by combining a variety of (exist-ing and new) features: 
1)	Use of satellite data analytics on climate and weather forecasts and risk modeling technologies for early warning systems
2)	Incorporation of these early warning systems in existing local preparedness plans
3)	Building the capacity of local communities and vulnerable households on disaster preparedness, finan-cial and digital literacy
4)	Pre-positioning loadable Visa debit cards, allowing for cash transfers prior to an extreme event.

The use of a quick, safe and transparent digital cash disbursement platform guarantees organizational effi-ciency and speed of cash distributions. A similar initiative is the Forecast based Finance of the International Red Cross, that also releases funds before a disaster, however it is focused on institutions. B-Ready will spe-cifically focus on individual households. After successful implementation, we will work with insurers and Micro Finance Institutions to develop a business model (savings, insurances and loans). This to make the in-novation more sustainable and disaster-prone communities less reliant on humanitarian funds. vulnerable HHs especially chil-dren, women, persons with disa-bility and elderlies,