projects

Automated cash assistance to support small businesses

Completed
Programme
Incubator
Fund
Data Innovation Fund | Incubator
Start Date
Total Project Cost
USD 74,087.230
Country
Paraguay
Project Team
Multi-functional team: UNHCR MCO Argentina (Paraguay Cash-Based Assistance (CBI), Livelihoods, Programme)

Challenge

Paraguayan financial regulations require all cash transactions to be accompanied by an invoice, but most forcibly displaced people cannot generate legally recognized invoices. Cash assistance beneficiaries must travel to sign a paper invoice. For entrepreneurs, the creation and review of paper-based business plans is an additional barrier.

Solution

Implement an e-invoicing system and a standardized tool for UNHCR's cash assistance delivery and selection of business grant recipients. This will enable individuals to submit proposals online and sign e-invoices remotely.

Impact

Greater objectivity, transparency, and standardization in the selection of seed capital recipients in Paraguay. Reduced environmental impact by removing the need for paper-based transactions and travel for beneficiaries of multipurpose cash and business grants.

Other impact

460
Cash-based interventions processed digitally across 7 regions beyond Asunción.
100%
100% of self-invoices issued electronically; all surveyed beneficiaries preferred digital.
729
People indirectly engaged across five Southern Cone countries.

Other impact

Paraguay's Digital Future project eliminated the need for refugees to travel up to 8 hours to sign paper invoices by deploying a fully electronic invoicing system, the first of its kind in UNHCR Paraguay. In parallel, the team co-designed an AI-powered business plan evaluation tool with refugee entrepreneurs, civil society, and government partners across Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The tool, now fully operational and integrated with UNHCR's Kobo platform, enables seed capital applicants to build and submit business plans remotely, 24/7, in their own time. Notably, e-invoicing became mandatory for NGOs in Paraguay shortly after project completion, meaning the innovation saved significant costs by getting ahead of market price increases. The solution is ready to scale across the MCO Southern Cone region.