WFP Jordan Country Brief, August 2021

In Numbers

• 472,626 Total number of beneficiaries reached in August 2021

• 471,726 beneficiaries assisted through cash-based transfers

• 970 beneficiaries benefited from livelihood activities

• USD 121.6 million six months net funding requirements (September 2021 - February 2022)

Operational Updates

• In August, WFP provided food assistance to over 472,600 very vulnerable refugees after implementing the retargeting and prioritization exercises in July. This includes about 40,000 refugees assisted in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic using dedicated funding. Most of the assisted refugees come from Syria, with a minority from Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia.

• Due to the ongoing funding shortfall, WFP will be forced to implement another round of cuts in October, Unfortunately, this will result in excluding a further 110,000 refugees residing in communities from its monthly food assistance. WFP informed these eligible beneficiaries through SMSs on the last day of August about the possibility of their assistance cut due to funding shortfall. WFP will continue exploring funding opportunities, and will be holding monthly meetings with donors as well as consultations with the Government to discuss the situation.

• WFP closed the online appeal requests for retargeting at the end of August. A total of around 37,000 requests were received since June. WFP is now reviewing all requests for potential re-inclusion in case of funding availability.

• In August, WFP continued providing technical assistance to the National Aid Fund (NAF)- which is the main social assistance provider in Jordan operating under the umbrella of the Ministry of Social Development. Out of the 30,000 households of NAF’s old caseload, WFP’s partner verified over 10,000 households in August. In addition, WFP provided virtual info-sessions to over 5,000 beneficiaries enrolled under Takaful/Solidarity Cash Transfer programmes. While implementing the home visits and info-sessions, WFP and its partner ensured a gender-sensitive approach with female staff in each team.

• WFP and the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) have finalized the technical assistance agreement. A signing ceremony between His Excellency the Minister and WFP Country Director will be held during the first week of September.

• Under the EU-MADAD funded project for enhancing resilient livelihoods and food security of host communities and Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, 200 participants have continued producing seedlings at 16 of the Ministry of Agriculture’s plant production stations; 50 percent of participants are women.

• WFP, through its partnership with the local NGO, Dar Abu Abdallah (DAA), continued its human capital development project targeting 770 vulnerable Jordanians and refugees with a focus on youth and women. In August, as the first round of production started, the home-based business generated an average profit of JOD 50 (USD 70) per month per participant.

• WFP’s partnership with the National Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition (NAJMAH) was concluded in August. While NAJMAH and WFP are finalizing the project report, initial findings show that the overall food consumption score of targeted households improved by 11 percentage points compared to last year. Households were also able to reduce their reliance on consumption-based coping strategies. Project data also indicated that the rate of placement of people graduating from the courses in sustainable jobs is 63 percent, higher than the target of 55 percent. This indicates the project’s positive impact despite the challenges faced during the project period given COVID restrictions.

• WFP’s partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) supporting small-holder farmers continued in August, targeting 300 small-holder farmers. The activities included constructing water harvesting reservoirs, erecting fences and planting. The collective rate of completion is 60 percent for water-harvesting structures, 50 percent for the fencing and 30 percent for the plantations. The implementation of this project will continue until December 2021.

• WFP in coordination with the Government, has finalized the first draft of the food security action plan. This will be developed further and validated during a national workshop in the first week of September through feedback of the particpants from the Government, UN agencies, donors, the private sector and the NGOs.

• Under the WFP and UNICEF partnership for social innovation laboratories, WFP and partners completed training to around 25 participants on food security and entrepreneurship in August. The laboratories will create a combined food security innovation programme for youth and adolescents in Jordan in 2021.