| 19 May 2010 |
|
WFP launches first cash-for-work programme in Iraq
- Text size
BAGHDAD - The World Food Programme (WFP) today launched a cash-for-work programme in Iraq to help some of the poorest sections of Iraqi society earn enough money to pay for food that might otherwise be beyond their reach.
"Food insecurity in Iraq is an access problem, not an availability problem," said WFP Country Director Edward Kallon. "While there's food in the shops, not everyone can afford it and nearly a million people still need food assistance and millions more depend on government aid."
The programme is being piloted in the central Iraqi governorate of Diyala to stimulate public works, provide employment and promote food security in some of the poorest districts in the country. The pilot will be closely monitored and assessed as a model for similar programmes across Iraq.
The cash-for-work activities include the clearing and rehabilitation of sewage and irrigation canals, tree planting, rehabilitation of farmland and a sanitation campaign. Participants will be paid the Iraqi dinar equivalent of US$10 per day for a three-month period, with supervisors paid the equivalent of US$13 per day.
Beneficiaries will initially be paid in cash on a weekly basis. However, WFP is exploring the possibilities of using electronic technology, such as smart cards, to facilitate payments and reduce security risks in future programmes.
"Cash-for-work projects are an innovative way to provide a much-needed influx of cash to poor communities who struggle to make ends meet and provide food for their families," said Kallon. "They are appropriate when food is readily available in the markets but out of their reach."
The pay rates have been set below the average daily wage of US$13-17 for labourers, so that it benefits only the most vulnerable members of the community who might not otherwise be able to find work. A total of 1,444 households will be targeted in the pilot.
Implementation of the programme will be carried out by Mercy Corps, a WFP cooperating partner with considerable experience in managing community infrastructure programmes.
The cash-for-work project is part of the "Diyala Initiative" to provide a series of integrated and coordinated interventions to facilitate the resettlement of internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees and other vulnerable groups. The effort is being led by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the Office of the Prime Minister.
Other participants include the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, WFP and the World Health Organization (WHO).
-Ends-
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.
WFP now provides RSS feeds to help journalists keep up with the latest press releases, videos and photos as they are published on WFP.org. For more details see: http://www.wfp.org/rss
WFP has a dedicated ISDN line in Italy for quality two-way interviews with WFP officials.
For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Robin Lodge, WFP/Baghdad, Mob. +962-79-615-9797
Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo (Arabic), Mob. +2-01666-34352
Gregory Barrow, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06513 2330, Mob. +39 348 1325018
Caroline Hurford, WFP/London, Tel. +44-20-72409001, Mob. +44-7968-008474
Emilia Casella, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41-22-9178564, Mob. +41-792857304
Jennifer Parmelee, WFP/Washington, Tel. +1-202-6530010 ext. 1149, Mob. +1-202-4223383
Bettina Luescher, WFP/New York, Tel. +1-646-5566909, Mob. +1-646-8241112
© Press Release 2010
Zawya is a distributor (and not a publisher) of content supplied by third parties and subscribers. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by those third parties, including information providers, subscribers or other users of the Service, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of the Company. The Company neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made on the Service by anyone other than authorized Service employee spokespersons while acting in their official capacities. The Company is not responsible for any infringement of intellectual property rights or breach of any applicable law or regulation, including regulation in relation to financial services or the distribution of financial products, defamation, data protection, telecommunications (including regulations relating to excessive use, spamming or other abusive activities) or obscene, offensive or illegal content). Under no circumstances will the Company be liable for any loss or damage caused by a member's reliance on information obtained through the Service. It is the responsibility of member to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content available through the Service. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice or other content.
Read the full Member Agreement
http://www.zawya.com/legal/NewsLetter.cfm?name=disclaimer
Loading ...
Post a Comment
1.1 Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
1.2 Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
1.3 Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
1.4 Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
1.5 Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
1.6 Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
1.7 Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.