Stellar Aid Assist
2 Years of Impact and Innovation
Author
Stellar Development Foundation
Publishing date
Two years ago, Stellar Aid Assist was launched. Stellar Aid Assist is a first of its kind aid disbursement solution that ensures the delivery of cash assistance directly into the hands of those being assisted quickly, efficiently, and more securely with full value transfer traceability and accountability.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has successfully deployed Stellar Aid Assist to disburse critical humanitarian aid in Ukraine. The direct cash assistance helps cover basic needs like rent for accommodation, food, medical care, and heating during the winter.
The Impact
$4.6 Million Disbursed
Using Stellar Aid Assist, UNHCR has successfully disbursed $4.6 million since inception to some 2,500 households in Ukraine, to complement its broader cash assistance programme supporting displaced and war-affected people in Ukraine.
Given the success of UNHCR's use of Stellar Aid Assist in Ukraine, the program is scaling up. It is also expanding beyond Ukraine to Argentina, enhancing aid disbursement and grants for refugee entrepreneurs while safeguarding value and mitigating local currency devaluation.
This project is part of the implemented UN Financial Gateway, which utilizes various financial technologies, including the Stellar blockchain, to enable rapid, efficient, and transparent aid distribution while ensuring full accountability and seamless access to global financial systems
Real World Impact
The Onchain Effect
Stellar Aid Assist is a solution that has the potential to lay the groundwork for future financial innovation for cash assistance and donation programs, with the opportunity to grow a global ecosystem of digital wallets and cash on and off-ramps serving different contexts and geographies.
Blockchain technology is helping aid organizations deliver aid quicker and at a lower cost, meaning more money is going directly to the people who need it. Some of this was highlighted at this year’s AidEx in Geneva.
We at the Stellar Development Foundation are proud that this innovative solution is built on Stellar and hope more organizations will embrace Stellar Aid Assist as a solution to deliver aid quickly to those who need it. The onchain effect of aid disbursement is another powerful example of blockchain making a difference in the real world.