CAIRO: In a move to expand its food voucher program outside the Syrian capital, Damascus, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is expanding the Electronic Food Voucher project. The goal is to reach as many refugees living in Syria as possible, the WFP said in a statement. The food voucher program is the first of its kind in the world to use mobile phone technology to feed people. “We hope this project will continue to be successful and get the proper nutrition to refugees in need and who do not live in Damascus,” a WFP official told Bikya Masr on Thursday. The project began in October 2009 and targeted 1,000 Iraqi families living in Damascus. It has now expanded to reach more than 9,500 families and some 32,500 Iraqis living in Syria. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees there are around one million Iraqi refugees living in Syria. Although some have started to return home, many remain in the country and are in need of food assistance. According to a WFP statement, the voucher system has been “an effective and efficient way to distribute food to refugees living in an urban context.” Now, they hope by moving out of the capital it will enable more Iraqis to be given food on a regular basis. “WFP's Electronic Voucher System is an innovative and revolutionary way to deliver food assistance to Iraqi refugees in Syria,” said Muhannad Hadi, WFP's Syria Country Director in a press statement. “After successful implementation inside Damascus, we are expanding its implementation in other governorates. We have already reached 100 percent of the refugees living in Homs, Lattakia, and Tartous and by the end of October we are planning to expand in Edlib, Hama and Daraa.” The system is quite simple, with refugees receiving a text message to their mobile phone that gives them a code they can then cash in all, or part of the “virtual voucher” at a selected government shop. The WFP said refugees are able to exchange the vouchers for a “selection of more than 15 different food commodities.” Among the food being offered are rice, lentils, chickpeas, bulgur, white beans, oil, canned fish, pasta, sugar, salt, ghee, tomato paste, cheese and eggs as well as some fresh produce that is not always part of the aid baskets. While the voucher itself is only worth $30 per person every two months, it is a step in the right direction, said the WFP. Upon making the transaction, a follow-up SMS is sent informing the refugee of the remaining balance. “This system provides families with the freedom to select food of their own choice, at any selected shop and at any time they wish,” said Hadi. WFP has established the Electronic Voucher System in collaboration with the General Establishment for Storing and Marketing Agriculture and Animal Products (GESMAAP), a Syrian Ministry of Economy and Trade body. Prior to being implemented, the WFP provides training to GESMAAP employees and equips the selected GESMAAP shops with the necessary equipment and software, the food assistance organization said. “Information sessions for refugees are held at UNHCR distribution center and four dedicated hotline numbers are available to respond to refugees' queries,” the WFP said. Adel Abdel-Rahman, 41, an Iraqi refugee and father of four, told Bikya Masr via telephone that the project has allowed him to reduce stress on a monthly basis in order to feed his family. “My earnings on the little work I do is small, so any assistance we are receiving is a big help to my family as we decide whether we will return home or not,” he said. According to the WFP statement, mobile phone provider MTN has donated SIM cards to refugees for the project with one-year service free of charge. To date, about 130,000 Iraqis regularly receive food from WFP and non-food assistance from the UNHCR. WFP's Emergency Operation Assistance to Iraqi Refugees in Syria has received only 35 percent of the $32 million budget it estimates it needs. “Further support is urgently needed to avoid a break in food distribution to vulnerable Iraqi refugees in the country,” the WFP added. BM
