Partnership launched to strengthen social protection of vulnerable children

AMMAN — A new partnership aimed at strengthening the national social protection system for the most disadvantaged children in the Kingdom was launched on Monday by the National Aid Fund (NAF), the EU and UNICEF, a statement from the UN agency said.

At the launching event, Minister of Social Development Hala Lattouf commended the newly launched partnership, calling social protection for children in Jordan “a priority for all”.

Funded by the European Union Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (the Madad Fund), the NAF-UNICEF project titled “Institutional strengthening of NAF and child cash grant for the most vulnerable children in Jordan” includes a new child cash grant programme for the most vulnerable Jordanian children, according to the statement.

The joint project also aims at strengthening NAF’s monitoring and evaluation systems, which include enhancing NAF staff capacities; reviewing the cash assistance targeting system and its impact on children and adolescents; and updating the ICT system for introducing technology for payment system for cash transfers to disadvantaged Jordanian families with children, the statement said. 

“The European Union and UNICEF will continue to support the commendable efforts of the Jordanian government in safeguarding children’s rights and in addressing social protection and education needs of girls and boys,” the EU Head of Cooperation Ibrahim Laafia was quoted in the statement as saying. 

For the child cash grant component of the project, the NAF specifically prioritised the most vulnerable families with children who are living below the national poverty line of JD68 per person per month. 

These children, who are also at risk of dropping out of school, will receive integrated social protection and education services to support them, the statement said.

Based on the current available funding, the project will initially support 1,000 families with at least two children aged 6-18 years with the highest deprivation scores. 

Eighty per cent of Jordanian families identified for the project live in 23 programme priority districts identified by UNICEF through its Multidimensional Child Vulnerability Index. 

The poverty and vulnerability of Jordanians living under or near the poverty line has been heightened by the continuing instability in neighbouring countries including the Syria crises.

While poverty figures in Jordan remain relatively low, the World Bank noted that most of the poorest 40 per cent of households are exposed to the risk of transient and seasonal poverty, the UNICEF statement concluded.