UK gives £8m to support Rohingyas

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DHAKA, Jan 30, 2020 (BSS) – The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) is contributing another £8 million to support the Rohingyas.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Bangladesh has welcomed the new contribution from DFID, said a WFP press release here today.

This new contribution will support WFP to provide 2,70,600 Rohingyas with life-saving assistance over three months through electronic vouchers (e-vouchers). This programme allows them to purchase a variety of food items from 25 WFP e-voucher outlets across the Rohingya camps.

Families receive an allocation of $9 (Taka 770) per person per month to spend at the e-voucher outlets. The money is loaded onto a prepaid WFP Assistance Card which families use to choose from food items such as fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken, eggs, spices, and other staples.

The e-voucher outlets are run by local traders, providing economic opportunities to the host community.

WFP Representative and Country Director Richard Ragan said DFID’s contribution allows WFP to provide immediate food assistance through e-vouchers.

“E-vouchers create market linkages with the host community. Most food items provided in WFP shops are procured in Bangladesh, with fresh items procured locally in Cox’s Bazar district. WFP aims to transition all refugees to e-vouchers by mid-2020,” he added.

As of September 2019, WFP was providing food assistance to over 842,100 Rohingyas per month, half of whom receive food through e-vouchers and the other half receiving in-kind food distributions of rice, lentils, and oil.

With support from DFID, WFP has also piloted a Farmers Market for families currently receiving in-kind assistance.

Through the markets, refugees can access fresh produce, meat and fish to improve their nutritional diets. DFID has been a generous supporter of WFP activities in Cox’s Bazar.

DFID previously supported WFP with a contribution of £11.3 million in 2017, £17 million in 2018, and £20.4 million in 2019.