Attachments
MARCH HIGHLIGHTS:
Most of the refugee hosting countries were wrapping up their winter assistance programmes for refugees and others in need during March. In I raq, tent insulation kits were distributed and worn tents were replac ed, and a total of over 66,000 people have now been assisted there with seasonal rel ief items since the start of the year. In Jordan, the distribution of winterizat ion NFIs was completed (reaching almost 90,000 people this year) and post distribu tion monitoring, lessons learnt and best practice collation will begin. More than 142,000 people in Jordan have benefited from cash assistance for winter. In Lebanon, some 527,500 people have now received winterization assistance (99.5 per cent of the target) through a mix of cash and goods distribution, while a round 15,000 blankets were distributed during March alone in Turkey.
While winter is drawing to a close, basic household needs still remain high for many refugees. It has been noted in some areas that more recen t newcomers are in general more vulnerable than those who arrived in the p ast because they have already used up more of their their savings and assets in Syria.
Reaching refugees living outside of camps with basic household items and assistance remains a challenge in many operations where the re are both camp and non-camp populations. In Turkey, some 246 families in Ki rikhan and surrounding villages were reached with blankets, mattress es, pillows and carpets, while in Adiyaman assistance, including stoves an d coal, was provided to almost 100 families. In Iraq, more than 7,000 individuals ou tside of camps were reached with standard core relief items.
Regular or urgent cash assistance has been provided to more than 150,000 people in Jordan, while more than 54,000 people in Egypt have recieved cash assistance.