WFP increases stipends for refugees after subsidies lifted

AMMAN — Following recent hikes in sales tax on various commodities and ending bread subsidy, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has decided to increase the volume of aid given for food electronic vouchers to Syrian refugees living outside refugee camps.

The decision to increase the amounts given to Syrian refugees followed a study conducted by the WFP on prices of commodities in the market after recent decisions by the government to increase sales tax and end bread subsidy, Faten Al Hindi, donors and private sector partnerships officer at the WFP, told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

As of this month, each Syrian refugee outside the camps that is classified among the vulnerable refugees will get JD15 per month instead of JD10 per month, Hindi said.

Each refugee living outside the camp from among the extremely vulnerable refugees will get JD23 per month instead of JD20 per month, she said.

"The decision only includes refugees living outside the camps currently, but we are also looking into the situation of refugees living in camps," she added.

"Our objective is to increase our help to the refugees amidst increasing cost of living and prices of commodities following recent government's decision," Hindi said.

In January, the government lifted decades-long subsidies on bread, which increased prices of several types of bread between 60 and 100 per cent. The government also increased sales tax on several food items.

The WFP provides support to 500,000 Syrian refugees inside and outside the camps, 80 per cent of whom live outside the refugee camps, according to Hindi.

Syrian refugees expressed their happiness about the WFP's decision.

"I have five children and the cost of living in Amman is very high and increasing all the time…any additional support no matter how small will help," Um Adnan, a Syrian refugee who lives in Al Hashemi area, told The Jordan Times on Thursday.

"In addition to the food vouchers that we get from the WFP, we also rely on assistance from the neighbours as we have other needs than food such as paying for the rent or medical treatment," said Um Adnan, who came to Jordan along with her children in 2013 from Homs.

Ziad Haraki, a Syrian refugee who lives in Al Istiklal area in Amman along with his wife and three daughters, echoed similar remarks.

"We hope there will be more increases in the amount of money we get to buy food. Each of my family members get JD20 per month and we certainly need more than that to have a healthy life," Haraki said.

"We face several challenges as we live outside the camp, especially after prices of food and bread increased…I work and earn JD250 per month but this is not enough as the rent in Amman is high…we welcome the increase and hope there will be more in future," Haraki told The Jordan Times Thursday.