Covid-19 crisis related cash assistance to vulnerable groups through local partner engagement Due to an increased number of Covid-19 cases in the beginning of March, the Jordanian authorities issued an order putting the country into full lockdown. At the beginning of May, the government of Jordan (GOJ) started to relax the lockdown measures. By now, people are starting to go back to work, but several sectors are still only partially open, and some even remain completely closed. The government is observing the epidemiological situation and adjusting regulations on a weekly basis.

Vulnerable members of refugee and host communities who are living below the poverty line and have lost their jobs bear the highest economic cost. With most of these persons have been out of work for over two months, and many still facing limited prospects for an income in the coming weeks, these vulnerable refugees and Jordanians have been unable to meet their basic needs or gone into greater debt in order to make ends meet. Sadly, others have resorted to negative coping mechanisms, including, according to UN Women, a 25% increase in reports gender based violence globally. A UNHCR-led taskforce (for refugees) and the Government of Jordan (for Jordanians) created beneficiary lists containing the cases hardest hit by the economic shock.

Because of its experience in cash assistance, generous private donors, and a large network of local partners in Jordan, World Relief Germany (WRG) was able to respond quickly to the crisis. WRG was the first NGO to provide Covid-19 cash assistance in April. Other NGOs, UNHCR, and the GOJ have followed suit and started providing Covid-19 related cash assistance in recent weeks. Despite these efforts, still half of the refugees eligible for Covid-19 cash assistance, and many vulnerable, eligible Jordanian families, have yet to receive cash assistance.

This project will help close the gap by supporting 1,424 households (8,620 individuals) with a one-off, unconditional cash transfer in order to help them meet their immediate basic needs, and avoid resorting to negative coping mechanisms, including domestic abuse. This project will cover beneficiaries in Amman, Irbid, Zarqa, and Mafraq governorates where a large number of urban refugees and vulnerable Jordanians are residing. 70% of the funds will be used to support refugees and 30% to support host communities all in accordance with the regulations set by the Government of Jordan. Names of potential refugee beneficiaries will be collected from our local partners and checked against the eligibility list created by the UNHCR-led Corona Response Task Force (CRTF) and whether they match the JHF target groups. The eligible cases included in the beneficiary list will be assisted according to the amounts decided by the CRTF, which are depending on the family size. Names of potential Jordanian beneficiaries will also be collected from our local partners and cross-checked against the eligibility lists compiled by the Ministry of Social Development (MOSD) and the National Aid Fund (NAF). About half of the Jordanian families included in the final beneficiary list of this project will be taken directly from MOSD, and not from local partners. As with refugees, the amounts disbursed will also depend on the family size and be aligned with the amounts set by the GOJ for Covid-19 cash assistance to vulnerable Jordanians.