Provision of live-saving food assistance through e-vouchers to the most vulnerable Palestinian households in Gaza strip ltpgt


lt/pgtltp class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:automso-margin-bottom-alt:auto
line-height:normal"gtltspan lang="EN-GB"gtHumanitarian and protection
vulnerabilities in Gaza have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and high
inflation due to the ongoing Ukraine crisis. These shocks hit vulnerable Gazans
who live under blockade for 16 years and are struggling to recover from
consecutive armed hostilities, the last two occurred in May 2021/August 2022.
The result is an increase in the already high rates of poverty, unemployment,
and food insecurity, leading to people’s increased aid dependency and their
reliance on negative coping strategies to address basic needs.lt/spangtltspan style="color: black"gtlt/spangtlt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:automso-margin-bottom-alt:auto
line-height:normal"gtltspan style="color: black"gtTo address deteriorating food security, under its
humanitarian activities, WFP provides food and cash assistance to around 280,000
extremely poor and food-insecure across the five governorates of the Gaza
Strip. Most targeted beneficiaries are assisted through cash-based transfers in
the form of electronic vouchers. Targeted households receive WFP`s monthly electronic
food vouchers enabling them to purchase multiple nutritious food at their
choice and in a safe and dignified manner at more than 200 contracted shops. Electronic
food vouchers have proven positive impact on people`s food consumption as well
as on the local economy by supporting small-medium businesses which are engaged
in WFP`s electronic voucher programme. Under the proposed project, WFP seeks
financial support tlt/spangtltspan style="color: black"gto sustain the electronic food voucher assistance to 107,380 vulnerable
non-refugee people in the five governorates of Gaza Strip, for a period of one month. The targeted households are lt/spangtltspan style="color: black"gtamongst the poorest and most food insecure and
hence enrolled under the national social safety nets programmes. They are also
coping with specific vulnerabilities that increase their needs: 1)
female-headed households with persons with disabilities and 2) elderly male-
headed households with persons with disabilities. With the Palestinian
Authority`s deepening fiscal crisis which undermined social national transfers
to most vulnerable Palestinian households, WFP assistance is the only standing
safety net for these households.  lt/spangtlt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:automso-margin-bottom-alt:auto
line-height:normal"gtltspan style="color: black"gtWFP uses the nationally owned Proxy Means Formula
(PMTF) as the targeting tool of beneficiary households eligible for electronic food voucher assistance. Eligible families for WFP assistance live
below the national deep poverty line (US$3.7 per capita per day) and are
suffering from severe food insecurity. WFP`s periodic verification of
beneficiary eligibility and extensive post-distribution monitoring, alongside available
WFP community feedback mechanisms, ensure assistance is provided to people most
in need. Furthermore, WFP conducts cross-checking of beneficiaries against a list
of beneficiaries of other partners, including UNRWA, to ensure the deduplication of
assistance. lt/spangtlt/pgt

ltp class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:automso-margin-bottom-alt:auto
line-height:normal"gtltfont color="#000000"gtThe targeted households will receive e-voucher card,
or a digital code sent via SMS, credited with a monthly USD 10.30 per capita
per month to purchase diverse nutritious food at the contracted shops to meet
their pressing food.lt/fontgtltbrgtltfont color="#000000"gt
WFP is facing financial challenges risking possible suspension of its food and cash assistance. Without new financial support, WFP will be forced to suspend electronic food voucher assistance to all targeted households in the Gaza Strip as of 1 May 2023. ltbrgt
In the current context of escalation in violence and volatile security and persistent inflation, continued provision of WFP assistance is critical to mitigate vulnerable households` hardships, decrease their use of negative coping strategies and maintain some stability and peace.

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