Highlights
• In October, WFP supported 688,011 Syrian refugees and 16,401 Palestinian refugees from Syria with cash assistance. Additionally, 52,403 vulnerable Lebanese were reached under the National Poverty Targeting Programme.
• Approximately 90,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees began receiving USD 27/person for their food expenses, as well as a monthly household top-up of USD 175, redeemable at any ATMs throughout Lebanon, to contribute towards additional food expenses and other non-food essentials.
• With the commencement of the 2017/2018 school year, over 51,000 children started receiving unrestricted cash to purchase school food and over 14,500 children started receiving daily school snacks.
WFP Assistance
In Lebanon, WFP is implementing its programmes under the regional Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) 200987, which provides lifesaving food assistance to the most vulnerable individuals while also building the self-reliance of Syrians refugees and host communities.
WFP’s primary form of assistance to Syrian refugees is provided through an electronic food voucher (e-card) system. E-cards can be used to purchase food from any of the over 500 WFP-contracted shops. Starting from late 2016, WFP, together with UNICEF, UNHCR and the Lebanon Cash Consortium introduced a common card, allowing a unified system for cash transfers.
Based on a WFP-commissioned cash pilot study, which was conducted by the Boston Consulting Group in 2016, WFP began implementing unrestricted cash transfers in September for 170,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The refugees have the choice to redeem their food assistance either at any WFP-contracted shops or withraw cash from any ATMs throughout the country.
Additionally, the most vulnerable Syrian refugees receiving monthly unrestricted cash also receive a monthly household cash top-up, which they can utilise for additional food and non-food expenses.
Moreover, WFP provides electronic food vouchers to 53,000 vulnerable Lebanese and 16,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria. This is done in partnership with the Ministry of Social Affairs and UNRWA.
As a means of transforming the refugee crisis into a development opportunity, WFP works with partners to provide income and skill-building opportunities for vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees through community asset-creation activities. WFP currently implements over 70 livelihoods activities in 50 municipalities throughout the country, with the aim of reaching over 40,000 people throughout 2017.
To ensure no lost generation of Syrian refugee children, WFP, alongside UNICEF, runs a cash for education programme. WFP offers a monthly cash grant to 51,000 Syrian refugee children aged 5 to 14+ enrolled in second shift public schools within select governorates. The support aims to cover the monthly costs associated with purchasing food for school meals. UNICEF covers other indirect costs associated with refugee families sending their children to school.
To address short-term hunger and to improve childhood nutrition, WFP also runs a small-scale public primary school snack programme for 14,500 vulnerable children, both Lebanese and displaced Syrians.
The Lebanon Country Office Country Strategic Plan (CSP) 2018-2020 was approved by the WFP Executive Board in June this year. The CSP is aligned with the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan (LCRP 2017-2020), which has been endorsed by the Government of Lebanon, the UN Strategic Framework (2017-2020), the Ministry of Agriculture’s Strategy (2015-2019) and WFP’s Vision 2020. The CSP focuses on four strategic outcomes to address the ongoing humanitarian and developmental challenges and supports the Government of Lebanon in achieving SDG 2 and 17.