The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a €100 million (US$113 million) contribution from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development toward its programmes supporting vulnerable Lebanese families and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
“This timely and generous contribution reaffirms Germany’s humanitarian principles and dedication to helping alleviate the suffering of people affected by conflict and poverty in Lebanon,” said WFP Lebanon Country Director Dominik Heinrich.
Germany’s contribution will allow WFP to continue providing food assistance to over 700,000 vulnerable Syrian refugees and more than 50,000 vulnerable Lebanese.
WFP supports refugees in Lebanon through its electronic food card (e-card) programme which allows families to purchase their food from any of 450 local shops across Lebanon. The programme has also helped to boost the local economy and create local jobs, with over US$650 million injected into the Lebanese economy to date.
The Government of Lebanon’s National Poverty Targeting Programme is using similar e-cards to provide food assistance for Lebanese families. This assistance will be funded by WFP from July until year end.
“Giving each vulnerable person a monthly entitlement of US$27 to meet their food needs protects them from hunger and provides control and choice to meet their most pressing nutritional needs,” added Heinrich.
Since the onset of the Syrian crisis, Germany has been among WFP’s largest donors, supporting its emergency food assistance programmes for displaced people inside Syria as well as refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt with a total of €802 million (US$917.7 million).
