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The UN has launched a voucher scheme in Benghazi to help poor families obtain food. It is hoped it will also . . .[restrict]boos the local economy.
The World Food Programme (WFP) plans to reach up to 10,000 families by the end of the three-month project. It may later be expanded to Tripoli and elsewhere in Libya.
Under the scheme, families can exchange WFP vouchers for food they choose in selected shops. Around 4,000 families in and around Benghazi will receive about 30,000 vouchers at a total value of half a million dinars in the first phase of distributions this month.
“Food voucher schemes allow WFP to assist people who live in areas where food is available but they are unable to afford it in sufficient quantities or where there’s a shortage of cash,” says Zlatan Milisic, WFP’s representative in Libya.
“Food is now available in most of Libya and it’s become feasible to switch to voucher-based assistance that acts as a cash injection to both families and the local economy,” he added.
The beneficiaries, selected by local officials and NGOs, will include families whose incomes so low that they hardly cover basic food items. Internal refugees are also to benefit. [/restrict]
