WFP/Sepideh Soltaninia Iraq Refugee Response Fact Sheet Syria Crisis Response APRIL 2015 Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, over 245,000 people have sought refuge in Iraq, 97 percent of whom are residing in the Kurdistan Region. Many Syrian families are hosted by local communities, while almost 40 percent reside across nine camps. As per government policy, WFP assists refugees living in camps only, making non-camp refugees at times reliant on assistance from host communities. Since mid-2012, WFP has provided food assistance to Syrian families through in-kind food and vouchers. Currently, four camps are assisted through individual food parcels, providing 2100 kcal per day per person. This includes Al Obaidi camp in Anbar governorate, where insecurity has made the delivery of food parcels increasingly challenging. In five camps, where over 80 percent of beneficiaries reside, WFP distributes vouchers redeemable for food commodities at partner shops. Since the start of its voucher programme in November 2012, WFP distributed vouchers valued at US$31 per person per month; however, as of January 2015, the voucher value has been changed to US$28.20 per person per month. Similar changes occurred across the Syrian refugee hosting countries of the region as the food basket – against which the voucher value is determined – was harmonized for all countries following the assessment of dietary preferences. As of February 2015, the voucher value was further reduced to US$19 per person per month due to funding constraints. Voucher Assistance In November 2012, in partnership with Islamic Relief Worldwide – Iraq, WFP began a food voucher programme in Domiz camp, allowing beneficiaries to purchase food based on personal preferences while providing them with access to a wide range of nutritious items not available in WFP in-kind food rations. As the number of refugees increased, WFP expanded and improved the programme to meet the evolving needs of Syrians, opening additional retail shops for voucher redemption to reduce overcrowding and increase market competition. Furthermore, in an effort to ease the financial burden on beneficiaries, all three participating shops, located some 3 km from the camp, began providing free transportation to and from the camp. In January 2015, shops inside the camp opened to further reduce the transportation burden on beneficiaries. In December 2014, WFP transitioned from in-kind food to voucher assistance in Darashakran and Akre camps, reaching an additional 10,000 people with vouchers. A similar transition took place in Kawrgosk camp in January and in Basirma camp in April 2015. Assistance in Qushtapa camp will transition to vouchers in May. In-kind Food Assistance Since the start of the emergency food assistance operation, individual food parcels comprised of dry food items such as pulses, pasta and rice have been distributed to refugees in Al Obaidi camp, ensuring that each beneficiary receives 2,100 kcal per day. In August 2013, when an influx of over 60,000 refugees entered the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, WFP also begun providing in-kind food assistance to camps housing new refugees. Since then, WFP has also distributed monthly family food rations, followed by monthly individual rations, to refugees in camps established since the influx. 1 School Feeding In order to increase enrolment and regular school attendance of Syrian refugee boys and girls, a daily nutritious snack was provided to over 10,000 students in fourteen camp primary schools during the 2013-2014 school year. The school feeding programme, which aimed to reach 20,000 students during the 2014-2015 academic year, was designed to increase students’ attention in the classroom while improving their nutritional status. However, no further additional daily fortified snacks were procured due to funding limitations and the school feeding programme did not resume with the start of the school year in September 2014. Unless additional funding is received, WFP will be unable to support young Syrian students in camp schools. Protection and Accountability to Affected Populations In camps assisted through in-kind food across the Kurdistan Region, WFP, with the help of its cooperating partners ACTED and INTERSOS, is providing further support during distributions to people with special needs. In consultation with camp management and refugee representatives, volunteers and cash-for-work teams organized by cooperating partners ensure that people with disabilities, pregnant women, female-headed households and unaccompanied minors are given priority and provided with assistance to carry their food parcels back to their tents. Furthermore, taking into consideration cultural sensitivities, separate queues for women and men are used during both in-kind food and voucher distributions in all camps. In keeping with WFP’s commitment to ensure accountability to affected populations, WFP operates a hotline, available to all beneficiaries. Refugees, authorities and other humanitarian partners can use these hotlines to convey any questions or feedback regarding WFP food assistance. Future Commitments In 2015, WFP plans to continue to scale-up its operations, particularly in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, to assist all vulnerable Syrian refugees. Key aspects of WFP’s plans for food assistance by the end of 2015 include: Expansion of Voucher Assistance: WFP plans to transition all camps where there is retail interest to voucher assistance as monitoring activities have repeatedly shown that refugees prefer vouchers to in-kind food assistance. The UNHCR/REACH Multi-Sector Needs Assessment conducted in camps in early 2014 found that WFP’s food voucher programme “has had a resoundingly positive impact on the food security situation of refugees in the camps where it has been implemented.” E-Card Pilot: A 150 household e-card pilot will be implemented during the second quarter of 2015, and e-cards will be rolled-out in all camps if the pilot is successful. The WFP e-card is designed with the possibility to include additional agencies, should they wish to join, allowing it to serve as an inter-agency OneCard platfrom. With e-cards, beneficiaries will no longer need to attend large-scale monthly distributions as food assistance will automatically be transferred to the cards each month and will be able to purchase food as many times as needed throughout the month. 2 Targeting in Camps and Assistance to Non-Camp Refugees: The results of the UNHCR/WFP Joint Assessment Mission conducted in mid-2014 indicate that it is possible to conduct a vulnerability targeting exercise in camps. As a result, following the identification of vulnerability targeting criteria jointly with UNHCR, WFP will introduce targeted assistance in camps, ensuring that it reaches the most vulnerable refugees. An inter-agency assessment is planned for the coming month. Any expansion of WFP food assistance into communities will also be based on a targeted approach to ensure assistance reaches Syrian refugees most in need. Challenges Funding: Sustainable funding continues to be the greatest challenge to effective programming, and may lead WFP to further reduce its assistance and re-evaluate future plans. If sufficient funding is not received, the expansion of WFP’s voucher programme to all camps across the Kurdistan Region may be delayed or stopped, preventing the injection of millions of dollars into the local economy and negatively impacting WFP’s reputation amongst key stakeholders including the Government, partners, beneficiaries and the retail community. Furthermore, despite advocacy efforts to assist non-camp Syrians, WFP may be unable to include vulnerable refugees residing in host communities as part of its caseload, irrespective of government policy. WFP’s monitoring activities show that almost 100 percent of refugees receiving vouchers have acceptable food consumption scores1. WFP’s voucher programme allows beneficiaries to diversify their diet by allowing for the purchase of a wide range of products including fresh produce, meat and eggs. Stopping the programme or a substantial reduction in the voucher value per person per month could negatively impact the daily food intake of beneficiaries, potentially harming their food security and lead to increased use of negative coping mechanisms among the beneficiaries. Funding constraints may also limit WFP’s ability to effectively respond to any massive influx, given the continued border opening. WFP currently does not have sufficient stocks in-country to respond to a large number of new arrivals and, due to funding shortfalls, is unable to procure food to prepare for any potential influx. Security: Major insecurity on the roads between Erbil—where WFP food stocks are stored—and Al Obaidi camp in Anbar governorate also remains a significant challenge. WFP was unable to reach the camp in June and July, but resumed distributions through its partner, Islamic Relief Worldwide- Iraq, from August 2014 to February 2015. Since then, insecurity has hindered access to the camp once again, forcing WFP and its partner to distribute half rations in April while continuing attempts to deliver food. Despite ongoing military operations across the country, the Kurdistan Region remains secure, allowing WFP to carry out food assistance in support of all Syrian families residing in camps. WFP continues to monitor the security situation to ensure the continuation of its programming as the security conditions evolve. 1 The food consumption score is a composite score based on dietary diversity, food frequency, and relative nutritional importance of different food groups. 3
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