BEIRUT, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on Wednesday that it will offer financial support to over 40,000 children in Lebanon to prevent them from living in harsh economic conditions, the National News Agency reported.
UNICEF said that it aims, in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs, the World Food Program and the Council of Ministers, to reach 15,000 families of the most vulnerable families and offer them financial support ranging between 160,000 (105 U.S. dollars) to 640,000 Lebanese pounds (423 dollars).
"Children are now the most vulnerable in the midst of the current economic crisis in Lebanon," said UNICEF Representative to Lebanon Yukie Mokuo.
"As prices rise and people lose their jobs, everyone gets affected, particularly in the poorest communities. While we continue to support the government to develop a National Social Protection Policy, we also wanted to act fast and provide immediate support, as far as our resources would allow, to some of the poorest households in the country," he added.
This cash support to Lebanese households comes on top of UNICEF's existing programs that support the most vulnerable Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian children and young people across the country with basic services including education, social assistance, child protection, youth development, health and nutrition, water and sanitation.
