More than 12,000 Somali refugees in Ethiopia are receiving monthly cash entitlements in addition to food rations, the United Nations food relief agency today said, detailing its pilot project at the Sheddar refugee camp.
“The cash allows refugees to have more control in diversifying their diets, and they can buy milk, vegetables or pasta directly from the local market,” said Abdou Dieng, Country Director for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Ethiopia.
Refugees at Sheddar, located outside of Jijiga, the regional capital of the Somali area of Ethiopia, are now receiving a monthly ration of 13.9 kilograms of food - including wheat, rice, pulses, corn-soya blend, oil, sugar and salt - as well as a cash allocation of 100 Ethiopian Birr or the equivalent of $5 per person.
An additional 13,000 refugees will start to receive cash in the same region in October. The moves are part of a pilot initiative that will last until December.
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