Cash Assistance was distributed to 139,415 persons, of which 131,591 were Syrians, 5,788 were Iraqi and 2,036 were of other nationalities.
4,201 patients were received in Rukban clinic on the North East border, with 42 referrals to Jordanian hospitals.
1,107 work permits, were issued through the Azraq refugee camp Employment Office (ACE) in September.
760,360 Refugees in Jordan as of 15 Oct 2018
83% Refugees living outside camps in urban areas
125,979 Refugees living in three camps in Jordan – Azraq, Zaatari and The Emirati Jordanian
PROTECTION
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UNHCR has begun its winterization campaign, which aims to reach 267,378 Syrians (69,452 families) in the refugee camps of Azraq and Zaatari and in urban areas with winter assistance in the form of cash assistance, as well as selected winter Core Relief Items (CRIs). In the camps, this is primarily in the form of one-off cash assistance for gas refills and one-time cash assistance for winter, as well as selected winter CRIs provision. In urban areas, a one-off cash assistance will be provided to 158,380 Syrian refugees (45,252 families) through the Common Cash Facility (CCF). Assistance is also needed for 22,124 Iraqi refugees and refugees of other nationalities (11,062 households), identified by the same selection criteria, in the form of a one-off cash distribution through the CCF. UNHCR remains one of the few agencies that continues to provide assistance to non-Syrian refugees in Jordan. As humanitarian support is limited and few may obtain work permits, the majority of Iraqi and other non-Syrian refugees are in particular need of winter assistance. Beneficiaries will include families that are already part of the UNHCR regular cash assistance programme or on the waiting list.
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On 16 October the Ministry of Interior announced the extension of the campaign aiming to formalize the status of Syrian refugees living informally in urban areas in Jordan. This campaign, which was launched on 4 March 2018, is now extended until the 31st of March 2019. The campaign is directed to Syrian nationals registered in the camps who left without an official authorization before the 1st of July 2017 and did not return. Syrians who arrived to Jordan and have never registered with UNHCR and the Government of Jordan can also benefit from this project. By the 16 October, over 20,000 individuals have successfully rectified their legal status, with the support of UNHCR and partners.
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Monthly Cash Assistance was distributed to 32,141 families (139,415 persons) in September, of which 131,591 persons were Syrians, 5,788 persons were Iraqi and 2,036 persons were of other nationalities. Cash assistance is meeting the majority of beneficiaries’ basic needs by helping them afford rent and pay monthly bills. It is also improving their lives by having a positive impact on beneficiaries’ psychological well-being, food security, health and educational access, and financial stability. In reviewing how families spend cash assistance through the Post Distribution Monitoring Report (PDM), positive results can be observed. Cash assistance improves refugee families’ housing situations, and is shown to reduced beneficiaries’ reliance on negative coping strategies and debt accumulation to finance their basic needs.
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UNHCR runs 40 helpdesks across the country as part of community outreach, where refugees are able to approach UNHCR with any legal or protection issues they may have – they can also approach our registration centre in Amman. During September, 1,360 families were assisted with issues ranging from lack of documentation, gender based violence, regularization of status, and resettlement.
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UNHCR Jordan has one of the largest refugee helplines in the world. The Helpline answered 164,597 calls in September. Since its inception in 2008, UNHCR staff on the helpline have responded to over 1.7 million calls.
The system uses Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology, where automated information is delivered on key topics, while 14 dedicated staff are available for emergency calls. -
In September 2018, UNHCR provided counselling to approximately 696 beneficiaries at UNHCR’s registration centre in Amman. UNHCR also assessed 69 vulnerable cases of various nationalities (Syrian, Iraqi, Yemeni, Sudanese, and Somali etc.) concerning their eligibility for Urgent Cash Assistance (UCA). 54 cases for the UCA were approved.
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On 10 October UNHCR and the Jubilee Centre for Excellence in Education (JCEE), formally launched a new endeavour to support refugee scholarship students and enhance financial inclusion for refugees living in Jordan. Partner JCEE supports refugee students in Jordan studying through the Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative, also known as DAFI. For the first time, DAFI scholars will now be able to receive their education stipends through an E-Wallet medium, supported by Mahfazati, which regulated and supervised by the Central Bank of Jordan.