ESTHER International and Visa to collaborate on payments solutions for humanitarian aid

ESTHER International and Visa to collaborate on payments solutions for humanitarian aid

info@estherinternational.com
telephone (+44)7446832070

ESTHER International, the financial assistance platform for governments and NGOs, and Visa, a world leader in digital payments, have signed a strategic agreement to collaborate on new payment solutions to help simplify humanitarian aid delivery, tackling global challenges in delivering aid under increasingly difficult circumstances due to worsening natural disasters and ongoing conflict.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250204746940/en/

From left to right: Joe Delaney - Senior Account Executive, Visa Government Solutions; Nicole Huguenin, Executive Director, Maui Rapid Response; Richard Johnston, CoFounder & COO, ESTHER; Mollie Drew, Strategic Partnerships Manager, ESTHER; and Jelena Dackovic, Aloha Navigator & Advocate, Maui Rapid Response (Photo: Business Wire)

Between 2018 and 2023, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance has doubled from 199.1 million to 406.6 million (UN OCHA¹) and severe food insecurity could affect over 956 million people by 2028 (World Bank²). Efficient and scalable solutions to disburse cash assistance are urgently needed.

Many communities are underserved by traditional financial services and have limited access to fintech infrastructure. This can make it difficult to provide those communities with humanitarian aid assistance in the event of a crisis, such as a climate-related event or conflict.

As part of their new collaboration, ESTHER International and Visa aim to co-develop solutions that enable NGOs to accomplish more on the ground, at speed, with data capture and management tools that allow efficiencies at the operational level. ESTHER International and Visa plan to then test these solutions in pilot programs over the next 2 years.

In 2025, ESTHER International and Visa aim to launch the first pilot in collaboration with Maui Rapid Response, an emergency response NGO based in Hawaii, using the ESTHER platform to deliver financial aid via Visa cards to individuals and families whose lives have been devastated by wildfires.

Carol Rossborough, CEO at ESTHER International, said: “Humanitarian aid agencies and NGOs continue to face extreme pressure due to increasing global conflicts and climate change. An aggregated global payments solution that provides the efficiencies NGOs need can be part of the answer, and Visa’s global network, as well as its money movement and innovation capabilities, make them the ideal collaborator for us.”

Rajiv Garodia, Head of Visa Government Solutions, said: "As the world faces unprecedented challenges in delivering humanitarian aid, our collaboration with ESTHER International is a crucial step towards ensuring that financial assistance reaches the most vulnerable communities quickly and efficiently.”

For more information on the launch of this joint initiative contact info@estherinternational.com, telephone (+44)7446832070.

About ESTHER International

ESTHER International is a leading FinTech organization dedicated to advancing humanitarian aid through innovative technology and partnerships. Our mission is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of crisis aid delivery by providing easy to use, scalable, interoperable systems that support NGOs and local community networks. Learn more at ESTHER International.

Global Humanitarian Overview 2023, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 1st December 2022, https://reliefweb.int/report/world/global-humanitarian-overview-2023-enaresfr
The World Bank's World Food Security Outlook, World Bank, October 2023, https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/6103