MIDEAST-CRISIS/JORDAN WFP SHORTAGES Funding crisis forces the WFP to cut back aid for Syrian refugees in Jordan

Record ID: 141658

  • Title: MIDEAST-CRISIS/JORDAN WFP SHORTAGES Funding crisis forces the WFP to cut back aid for Syrian refugees in Jordan
  • Date: 7th September 2015
  • Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (SEPTEMBER 7, 2015) (REUTERS) WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME HEADQUARTERS SIGN READING: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, AMMAN- JORDAN, COUNTRY OFFICE DINA EL-KASSABY, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FOR THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) DINA EL-KASSABY, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FOR THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, SAYING: "The World Food Programme, since the beginning of the year has been facing a critical funding shortfall, which means that we have had to make very critical decisions to focus our current resources on the people who need help most. All of the refugees that we have been helping for the past few years are in need but at varying levels, and we have conducted comprehensive assessments to determine the levels of vulnerability among refugees and we are now focusing on those families who are extremely vulnerable and cannot get by without external assistance." DINA EL-KASSABY, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FOR THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) DINA EL-KASSABY, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FOR THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME, SAYING: "We already know that the longer the crisis goes on the more vulnerable and the more dire families' situation becomes and we know from our meetings with refugees that they're already skipping meals, eating lower quality food, and taking extreme measures like taking their children out of school and sending them to work or marrying their daughters off early so it's one less mouth to feed to get by. And these are very very extremely concerning situations for the WFP because we know that these families need assistance and probably those families that were removed will take more extreme measures. We have met families recently who have told us that they would consider moving back to Syria." VARIOUS OF SYRIAN REFUGEE HOME SYRIAN REFUGEE, EID ALJEDAN, WITH HIS FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) EID ALJEDAN, SYRIAN REFUGEE FROM IDLIB, SAYING: "With regards to the humanitarian assistance that have been discontinued for some Syrian people, this will negatively impact them, and will cause some people to go hungry and they will not be able to sustain their daily life. We call upon all the humanitarian and international aid agencies to work on resuming, at least part, of this assistance." EXTERIOR OF SYRIAN REFUGEE HOME MELHEM HAMDOUN, SYRIAN REFUGEE FROM IDLIB, WITH HIS FAMILY (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MELHEM HAMDOUN, SYRIAN REFUGEE FROM IDLIB, SAYING: "It will definitely affect us, we relied heavily on the food vouchers. Now they have stopped this, and I have young children as you can see, we have young kids, and we don't know how we will get by." VARIOUS OF HAMDOUN'S CHILDREN
  • Embargoed: 22nd September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jordan
  • Country: Jordan
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADBMN9EYRS816EO1D4ZW90V6P6
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The U.N. food agency representative in Jordan sad on Monday (September 7) that a lack of funds has forced the agency to stop assistance to 229,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan.
    But they will continue to provide for 211,000 refugees as well as 96,000 refugees inside the camps.
    "The World Food Programme, since the beginning of the year has been facing a critical funding shortfall, which means that we have had to make very critical decisions to focus our current resources on the people who need help most. All of the refugees that we have been helping for the past few years are in need but at varying levels, and we have conducted comprehensive assessments to determine the levels of vulnerability among refugees and we are now focusing on those families who are extremely vulnerable and cannot get by without external assistance," said WFP communications officer Dina El Kassaby.
    In determining the most vulnerable families, the WFP considered the number of family members, health and living conditions as well as income.
    But El Kassaby said that those who would no longer receive assistance were likely to resort to extreme measures to get by.
    "We already know that the longer the crisis goes on the more vulnerable and the more dire families' situation becomes and we know from our meetings with refugees that they're already skipping meals, eating lower quality food, and taking extreme measures like taking their children out of school and sending them to work or marrying their daughters off early so it's one less mouth to feed to get by. And these are very very extremely concerning situation for the WFP because we know that these families need assistance and probably those families that were removed will take more extreme measures. We have met families recently who have told us that they would consider moving back to Syria," she said.
    Jordan hosts about 630,000 Syrian refugees, with more than half a million living in local communities and the rest in camps, according to the UNHCR.
    In addition to reducing the number of voucher recipients the aid agency has also drastically reduced the value of the vouchers.
    Syrians now receive $14 per person per month for urban refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, while those living in camps still receive the full $28 a month.
    Syrian refugee living in Amman, Melhem Hamdoun, said many would be affected by the decision.
    "With regards to the humanitarian assistance that have been discontinued for some Syrian people, this will negatively impact them, and will cause some people to go hungry and they will not be able to sustain their daily life. We call upon all the humanitarian and international aid agencies to work on resuming, at least part, of this assistance," he said.
    "It will definitely affect us, we relied heavily on the food vouchers. Now they have stopped this, and I have young children as you can see, we have young kids, and we don't know how we will get by," said another Syrian refugee living in Amman, Melhem Hamdoun.
    To continue assisting Syrian refugees in the region, as well as those displaced families that are in need inside Syria, the World Food Programme needs an immediate $341 million cash injection to get them through to the end of the year, according to El Kassaby.
    UNHCR estimates that more than four million Syrians have fled the civil war, and more than 240,000 have been killed over the four-year crisis.
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