Coronavirus: 36,000 refugee families in Pak to receive Rs 12,000 emergency cash each

About 36,000 Afghan refugee families in Pakistan will receive an emergency cash assistance of Rs 12,000 each to meet their urgent needs during the coronavirus pandemic. Over the past weeks, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees in collaboration with partners have carried out vulnerability assessments to identify the neediest refugee families, according to an official statement. The Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), the UNHCR and the Pakistan Post on Tuesday announced the joint initiative, which aims at benefiting the most vulnerable refugee families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan, it said.

UNHCR Deputy Representative in Pakistan Iain Hall and Director General of Pakistan Post Akhlaque Rana signed an agreement in Islamabad for the disbursement of the emergency cash grants. Hall said the UNHCR will initially target 36,000 refugee families, and if additional donor funds are secured, the humanitarian support will be expanded to many more needy families. "UNHCR is very concerned by the growing destitution of refugee families who solely depend on daily wages. We hope that this emergency assistance will help the most vulnerable get through this health pandemic," he said.

Those eligible for emergency assistance include refugees with disabilities or serious medical conditions, as well as single parents.

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