In November 2017, the World Food Programme (WFP) received US$100 million (£77 million) from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).
That money was channelled towards a new phase of WFP programming in Lebanon —multi-purpose cash for the most vulnerable Syrian refugees.
Since then, 36,000 Syrian families have been receiving cash to buy food but also a top-up intended for their other basic daily living requirements such as household supplies and medicine. For the first time, the recipient was entirely free to withdraw their cash each month and spend it however they decide. One year later, WFP and DFID are able to understand the impact that cash has made on Syrian refugees living below the poverty line.