Highlights
WFP supported 652,671 Syrian refugees and 16,251 Palestinian refugees from Syria with basic food assistance. Additionally, 52,246 vulnerable Lebanese were reached under the National Poverty Targeting Programme.
As of December, WFP Lebanon directly injected USD 1 billion into the Lebanese economy since 2012, through its cash-based transfer programming.
In December 133,072 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees received a package of multi-purpose cash to meet their food and other basic needs. This assistance is redeemable at any ATM throughout the country.
In 2017, WFP livelihoods programme implemented 111 projects across the country, benefiting a total of 43,969 vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees.
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 over 450 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 to meet their basic food needs. The refugees have the choice to redeem their basic food assistance either at any WFP-contracted shop or withraw cash from any ATM throughout the country. Additionally, in October approximately 90,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees began receiving a monthly package of multipurpose cash to meet their food and other basic needs (in December, 133,072 Syrian refugees benefited from this modality). This assistance is redeemable at any ATM throughout the country.
Moreover, WFP provides electronic food vouchers to more than 52,000 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 skills-building opportunities for vulnerable Lebanese and Syrian refugees through various Food for Assets (FFA) and Food for Training (FFT) projects. Throughout 2017, WFP implemented over 111 livelihoods activities in 80 municipalities throughout the country with the support of cooperating partners, reaching 43,969 people in 2017, compared to just 5,445 reached in 2016.
To ensure there is no lost generation of Syrian refugee children as well as to ensure nutrition and educational needs are met, WFP in close partnership with UNICEF, run a cash for education programme. WFP offers a monthly cash grant to more than 44,000 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 shortterm 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 Syrian refugees.