Relief: emergency assistance to the most vulnerable households.
Resilience: using food assistance to build economic resilience by linking safety nets to local products and engaging in community works projects that promote greening Palestine and agricultural development goals.
Preparedness: support to the Palestinian Authority Civil Defense to plan for and respond to emergencies.
Restrictions on freedom of movement, access to natural resources, the right to pursue gainful employment as well as on international trade and investment have left 27 percent of households, or 1.3 million Palestinians, unable to meet their basic food and household expenses.
Partnerships are central to WFP Palestine and the Voucher Programme is a partnership with local authorities and NGO’s, increasing the capacity of local authorities to effectively administer social safety net programmes.
Vouchers in Gaza provide around US$12 per month per person, and can be used to purchase bread, cereal, milk, yogurt, white cheese, eggs, pulses, vegetable oil, olive oil, rice, tahina and wheat flour. In 2012, the programme reached 30,000 beneficiaries, and 60,000 people will receive vouchers in 2013.
Vouchers in the West Bank provide US$13 per month per person. Beneficiaries can use vouchers to purchase bread, cereals, milk, yogurt, white cheese, eggs, pulses, vegetable oil, tuna, tahina and salt. In 2012, 86,000 people received vouchers and WFP expects to reach the same number of people in 2013.
Participating shops receive an electronic terminal, similar to a credit card machine, where beneficiaries swipe their voucher cards to purchase food items. This system allows WFP to track and analyse purchasing patterns, and ensure the programme’s integrity.
Programme Impact
All products available for purchase through the voucher programme are produced in the West Bank or Gaza. Increased sales of these products inject much-needed cash into the local economy. In 2012 WFP invested approximately US$16.7 million in local producers through the purchase of voucher goods.