DUSHANBE, February 4, 2013, Asia-Plus — The UN World Food Programme (WFP) completed a pilot cash transfer to around 7,000 of the most vulnerable people in Ayni district of Sughd province during January, press release issued by the WFP Country Office in Tajikistan on February 4 said.
In partnership with the district authorities, WFP provided cash assistance to 1,426 households with the lowest income, who own only small patches of land and possess few animals or other assets.
These families were previously receiving WFP food rations but under the pilot they now receive cash assistance equivalent to 500 somoni (TJS) (equivalent to 105 USD) per household. Providing families with cash gives them the opportunity to choose the food items they wish to buy and to buy different kinds of food, including fresh produce, to make their diets more diverse.
WFP runs cash programs in urban and rural areas where food is available on the market but people cannot afford it. This program takes into account the fact that markets in Tajikistan function well and that families receiving this cash support have access to shops.
“WFP is committed to helping families during the winter period, when income from seasonal labor and remittances from abroad significantly drops,” said WFP Country Director in Tajikistan Alzira Ferreira. “In winter, household food reserves are depleted and families are forced to spend more of their low incomes on fuel to keep warm in extremely cold temperatures. The price of staple foods such as wheat flour remains very high in Tajikistan limiting the ability of poor families of buying sufficient and nutritious food.”
WFP implemented the cash transfer project thanks to the support of the European Commission (ECHO) and in collaboration with the one of the country’s leading banks, Agroinvestbonk. Through the bank’s branches in Ayni and Panjakent districts, vulnerable beneficiaries were able to receive their cash entitlements on time.
WFP is the world”s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. Each year, on average, WFP feeds more than 90 million people in more than 70 countries.
