In Numbers
US$ 22.5 m cash-based transfers made
US$ 58.0 m six months (February - July 2019) net funding requirements
715,937 people assisted in December 2018
Operational Updates
• The 2018 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR) report was launched (available online here). VASyR is an annual study carried out jointly by UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF, and is a vital tool of the humanitarian response to understand the needs of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. VASyR is also the base used by UNHCR and WFP to refine the targeting approach for Syrian refugee beneficiaries receiving cash assistance in Lebanon. The 2018 report found that there have been slight improvements in economic vulnerability from the 2017 VASyR, although over half of Syrian refugee households live below the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) of USD 2.90 per person per day, unable to meet survival needs of food, health and shelter. Notwithstanding achievements in food security, one in three Syrian refugee households remain moderately to severely food insecure.
• As part of the school snack programme, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) hosted an official WFP-MEHE workshop to discuss and conceptualise the future of school feeding initiatives in Lebanon, setting the grounds for the coming three years. Currently, WFP is partnering with MEHE to implement the snack programme, targeting 24,000 Syrian refugee and vulnerable Lebanese children in 39 public primary schools throughout the country. Children receive a nutritious selection of fresh Lebanese fruits, UHT milk, and packaged nuts each school day to enhance school retention and improve nutrition habits among participating children. In the first quarter of 2019, the programme plans to implement a school kitchen pilot in six new participating schools, where snacks will be prepared and served fresh daily to students.
