Case Study: Gravity digital ID solution propels Dignified Identities in Cash Programing (DIGID)…
By: Charissa Ng Svenningsen
Tags: Humanitarian Aid, Humanitarian Innovation, Digital Identity, Decentralized Identity, Tezos

Gravity Platform Benefits for NGOs — Key Learnings

After concluding the DIGID Project, the Gravity team met with all stakeholders to get their feedback for future projects using the Gravity Platform.

KRCS and Gravity debrief after DIGID Project cash distribution.

For NGOs interested in using Gravity’s digital ID solution, the DIGID Project taught us that the Gravity Platform:

Saves NGOs money and staff time in the field

The Gravity Platform makes the overall process of NGO aid distribution faster and more efficient.

Time saved:

During the DIGID project, it took approximately one minute to authenticate and verify a beneficiary with a digital ID via the Gravity Platform for aid services.

Money saved: During the DIGID Project, the KRCS confirmed the identity of beneficiaries by scanning a QR code on the beneficiary’s phone or via a paper QR code given to them at the time of their digital ID registration. The cost per beneficiary of a printed and laminated QR code is $0.30 USD, compared to $2–5 USD for a smart card typically used by the KRCS for cash distribution.

“These digital ID QR codes are good because beneficiaries won’t have to keep registering for cash transfers. It’s much easier this way for us volunteers and for the beneficiaries.” -Kenya Red Cross Society volunteer

Helps NGOs have a quicker aid response after a crisis

The Gravity Platform allows NGOs to quickly and accurately identify beneficiaries. As previously mentioned, it took approximately one minute to authenticate and verify a beneficiary with a digital ID to ensure that the correct person was receiving the cash disbursement. This process had previously relied on a chief or community leader to be present to individually verify each beneficiary’s ID at disbursement. If the chief/community leader could not be present at the time of aid distribution, there was also the risk that a person could falsely claim to be a beneficiary in order to receive a cash disbursement meant for someone else.

“The [cash distribution] process was well organised.” -Beneficiary, DIGID Project

Facilitates interoperability across different aid organizations and projects

The Gravity Platform streamlines humanitarian action targeting the same beneficiary populations. During the DIGID Project, the Gravity Platform successfully integrated with KRCS vendor RedRose, a beneficiary and cash distribution management system used to facilitate the distribution of direct cash transfers to beneficiaries.

Helps NGOs put more money directly into the hands of target beneficiaries

The DIGID Project is the first time that the KRCS was able to provide many beneficiaries with direct cash transfers in lieu of mobile money transfers via mobile money service M-PESA.

Beneficiary biometrics being taken during the DIGID Project.

From the beneficiary feedback received after the DIGID Project, we learned that many beneficiaries prefer direct cash aid to M-PESA mobile money payments because the cash is put directly into their hands at the time of distribution without them having to worry about how to receive or access a mobile money payment.

By providing hard cash directly to beneficiaries at the time of distribution, the DIGID Project eliminated the need for beneficiaries to rely on more tech-savvy alternates/agents to handle M-PESA mobile money transfers on their behalf. With mobile money payments, beneficiaries may not know when they receive the payment, and in some instances, there is even the risk that an alternate/agent takes some of the money from beneficiaries without their knowledge, leaving them with less money than intended by the NGO.

Enables NGOs to provide aid to beneficiaries without ID that they could not access prior

With the Gravity Platform, it is now possible for NGOs to deliver aid to extremely vulnerable beneficiaries who are often left out of receiving services due to a lack of ID. Before this project, the KRCS struggled to provide aid to approximately 25% of its target beneficiaries because they did not have ID.

During the DIGID Project, 95% of beneficiaries in Turkana had no official ID, but were able to receive KRCS aid with digital IDs created via Gravity.

Supports all vulnerable populations, regardless of their access to or knowledge of technology

Gravity offers digital identity solutions for smartphone, basic phone and no phone users via QR codes. The Gravity Platform also works to close the technology gap by introducing beneficiaries to digital identity solutions that can help them gain access to and benefit from humanitarian aid.

Gives beneficiaries ownership and agency over their personal data

With the Gravity Platform, beneficiaries create digital IDs that allow them to control what personal data they want to share and who they want to share it with, ensuring that beneficiaries have a say in the privacy and management of their personal data at all times.