The United Nations World Food Program announced, on Tuesday, that further cuts in food aid for refugees in Jordan have become inevitable due to a lack of funding, and the program will have to reduce the value of monthly aid by a third for all the 119,000 Syrian refugees in the Zaatari and Azraq camps.

Starting in August, Syrian refugees in the camps will receive a reduced cash transfer of $21 (15 Jordanian dinars) per person per month, down from the previous amount of $32 (23 Jordanian dinars).

The program said that the sources of income for refugees in the camps are limited, as only 30% of adults work – most of them in temporary or seasonal jobs, and cash assistance is the only source of income for 57% of the camp residents.

“We are very concerned about the declining food security situation of refugee families, but with a lack of funding our hands are tied,” said Alberto Correa Mendez, Country Director and Resident Representative of the World Food Program in Jordan. These reductions are likely to increase negative coping strategies in beneficiaries.”

Negative coping strategies include child labour, children dropping out of school, child marriage, and the accumulation of more debts, which are up 25 percent among refugees in camps compared to last year.

Despite the reduction in the value of aid and the exclusion of about 50,000 individuals from aid to prioritize the neediest families as a result of the urgent challenges faced by the program, WFP still faces a severe funding shortfall of $41 million until the end of 2023.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, the World Food Program has steadily supported the most vulnerable Syrian refugees in Jordan to meet their basic food needs.

With funding challenges mounting, WFP has had to scale back its response, directing limited resources to meet the needs of the most vulnerable refugees.

The World Food Program commended the efforts and support of the Jordanian government and its people in hosting Syrian refugees over the years.

As conditions change, WFP recognizes the importance of shared responsibility in providing refugees with a decent livelihood, and WFP will continue to work with partners and donors to find more sustainable solutions.

Funding conditions forced the World Food Program in the region to reduce aid in both Syria and Palestine, and the program could no longer continue providing assistance at previous levels, according to the program.

The World Food Program expressed its gratitude for the support of donors, and appealed to the entire international community to support its programs to ensure access to the neediest families.