Mombasa residents are set to benefit from cash transfer from World Food Programme and the government to cushion them from crisis occasioned by COVID-19.
WFP and government launched cash transfers which will cover 24,000 families in the county.
According to WFP’s Kenya Country Director Lauren Landis, the program will capture the downtrodden families which have been adversely affected by the pandemic.
“COVID-19 has caused untold suffering especially to families living in the poor urban areas who normally rely on informal day-to-day employment,” Landis said.
“Many families in the coastal region are struggling just to feed themselves,” Landis added.
The cash-based support in Mombasa will cover 24,000 families – or 96,000 people support from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
Once a month, a selected family will receive sh. 4,000 (US$40) – enough to cover half of the monthly food and nutrition needs .
There will also be cash and additional nutrition support for women and children for three months.
Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho welcomed the move pointing that such initiatives will help out Kenyans affected by the pandemic.
“This assistance will go a long way in cushioning the many families in distress following the loss of income due to the COVID-19 restrictions,” Joho said.
WFP is also partnering with the Ministry of Health, and Mombasa County Government to support treatment for malnutrition among 6,000 children and women in the coastal city.
