Thousands of children across Lebanon will receive cash assistance from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
UNICEF announced on Tuesday that it would provide a sum of 460,000 Lebanese pounds to more than 70,000 children in the country, up to 3 children per family.
The aim of the one-time cash payment is to help vulnerable families secure their children’s well-being in the wake of the ongoing economic crisis that has caused living conditions to deteriorate in just a few months’ time.
UNICEF said that Lebanese families and their children who hold the electronic Hayat card, i.e. the most vulnerable, according to the National Program to Support the Poorest Families, will receive the assistance.
The sum, which equates to approximately $57 at black market rates, will also go to non-Lebanese families and their children who have been identified by UNICEF aid programs.
“The high prices and the loss of jobs have had a great impact on the most vulnerable families and children … in Lebanon,” the U.N. agency said.
Following the August 4th Beirut explosion, UNICEF identified around 100,000 Lebanese children who were displaced by the deadly blast. The fund consequently requested a sum of $46.7 million to assist these children and secure their basic needs.
Last week, the Italian government donated $3.5 million to UNICEF Lebanon in an affirmation of its support to Lebanon and Lebanese children.
