Highlights
In Iraq, WFP began a digital skills training for 100 Syrians in Arbat refugee camp. These beneficiaries are receiving training in order to improve their chances of finding employment.
WFP made transfers to more than one million beneficiaries in Turkey. 863,000 vulnerable refugees received multipurpose cash assistance through the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) and 142,000 Syrians received e-food voucher assistance in camps. The ESSN aims to assist more than one million people in 2017.
Situation Update
Access remain a challenge facing WFP and the humanitarian community at the Berm at the SyrianJordanian border. Since mid-June, WFP was not able to reach 50,000 Syrians stranded at the Berm who were living in difficult conditions and relying mostly on humanitarian agencies for life-saving assistance. WFP and all relevant agencies are working with the Jordanian Government to resume the provision of life-saving assistance.
Armed clashes in Lebanon’s Arsal’s outskirts erupted on 21 July 2017 and resulted in the displacement of more than a hundred Syrian refugee and Lebanese Households.
WFP has put preparedness measures in place and has been prepositioning additional food cards for the event of additional displacement of Syrian and Lebanese households in the areas.In Egypt, the cost of minimum expenditure food basket has reached EGP 402.5 (USD 22.2) in May 2017, compared to EGP 239.6 (USD 13.2) during May 2016. In recognition of the increasing pressures of soaring prices on Egyptian household purchasing capacity, the Egyptian Cabinet announced that the food ration card allowance will be increased as of July by 140 percent from EGP 21 per person to EGP 50 per person, and this applies to a family of 4 members. Any additional family members will be entitled to only EGP 25. This will apply to about 68.8 million Egyptians (Reuters).
