KSrelief, WFP to provide food for Syrian refugees in Jordan 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency has signed a $6.8 million agreement with the World Food Program to help provide food aid for Syrian refugees in Jordan.
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) will provide a grant to the WFP to distribute food aid to 54,000 Syrian refugees at Zaatari camp through monthly electronic vouchers to be used in shops and bakeries at the camp.
In a statement, the WFP said the funding would provide much-needed support to Syrian refugees living in camps and “arrives just in the nick of time to avert imminent further cuts in food assistance.”
Assistant Supervisor General of KSrelief Ahmed Al-Bayez and WFP GCC representative Mageed Yahia signed the deal via video conference.
“With great optimism, we hope that this third phase of support for Syrian refugees will successfully achieve its goals and make a substantial impact in alleviating the food insecurity and malnutrition faced by Syrian refugees,” Al Bayez said.
WFP Representative and Country Director in Jordan, Alberto Correia Mendes, said “The Kingdom’s timely contribution will enable us to continue providing essential food assistance to Syrian refugees in camps amidst pressing funding shortfalls.”
He added, “This contribution is a testament to the strong partnership between the Kingdom and WFP, which has consistently focused on helping refugees meet their food needs and alleviating hunger for those in need.”
Despite the new funding, WFP said it still urgently needs $23 million to continue providing food assistance until the end of the year.
“Without timely additional funding, WFP will be compelled to suspend assistance for in and out-of-camp refugees in October,” the UN agency said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia had previously provided aid to Syrian refugees living in Jordan’s camps in 2021 and 2022 amounting to $12.8 million and $6 million, respectively.