WFP to issue a second round of cash assistance to Moldovan families hosting refugees
CHISINAU – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) will issue a second round of cash assistance to Moldovan families hosting refugees from Ukraine, to help them reduce the burden of additional costs of food and other essential needs.
The second round will target already registered households who received cash assistance in the first round as well as new families currently hosting two or more refugees for more than one week.
“Our aim is to ensure Moldovan families, especially those hosting refugees, have support to meet essential needs, including food. Initially this was meant to be a one-off cash assistance, however our assessments at the household level indicate that there are increasing costs associated with basic needs among the Moldovan population,” said Douglas Mercado, WFP’s Head of Office in Moldova. “We have to make sure that they are protected and are not forced to make difficult choices.”
At least 10,470 Moldovan families received the first round of cash assistance of LEI 3500 (US$ 190) transferred to them between April and May 2022. The second round of the same amount is expected during the last week of June.
The registered and verified families will receive a SMS from Western Union notifying them to collect the second round of cash from their nearest branch. The families will have 30 days to withdraw their cash. New or unregistered host families in Chisinau can use the online registration portal (UAHelp) where both the head of the host family and the refugee(s) are required to register using the same code received upon the online registration.
In other regions of the Republic of Moldova, families can register for assistance at their local municipal councils between 6 and 20 June.
The cash-based assistance programme, part of WFP’s response to the Ukraine crisis in Moldova, was launched on 25 March 2022, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and other cooperating partners.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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