80,000 Syrian refugee children to receive cash assistance under UNICEF winterisation programme

AMMAN — UNICEF Jordan on Wednesday announced that up to 80,000 Syrian refugee children in Jordan will receive cash assistance under the agency’s winterisation programme.

The agency will provide 37,847 vulnerable Syrian children in the (0-12) age bracket in host communities with JD18 each to support their winter needs, according to a UNICEF statement sent to The Jordan Times. 

In addition, 41,000 children aged (0-14) years in the Zaatari Refugee Camp will receive JD14 each, and another 5,590 children in Azraq camp will receive the same amount of money.

The cash will be available through the iris scanning system at bank ATMs across the country that has already been established by UNHCR, the statement said, adding that a total of 21,000 households will receive text messages on Wednesday to inform them about the money transfers to benefit their children.  

“This cash assistance will enable vulnerable families to provide warm clothes and other needs for their children during the tough winter months,” UNICEF Jordan Representative Robert Jenkins said. 

“It’s critical that we work together to provide the much-needed support to vulnerable children and their families,” he added. 

The agency said parents have been informed that the cash is for their children’s winter needs. 

Past experience shows that mothers and fathers naturally prioritise the needs of their children, particularly during tough times such as the cold winter months, the statement said. 

“When a child’s basic needs are met they are more likely to be healthy, to attend school and to play a more active and productive role in society,” Jenkins noted. 

In addition to the cash assistance for those living in host communities, the agency will distribute 5,800 winter kits for children aged (0-16) years at the border areas, in addition to 6,100 winter kits for children in the same age bracket who belong to female-headed households.