The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have marked the completion of a joint programme supporting refugees and Egyptian host communities through integrated initiatives to improve nutrition, economic resilience, and social cohesion.
With a contribution of $6m from KOICA, WFP implemented a three year programme supporting vulnerable refugees from more than eight nationalities, as well as members of Egyptian host communities, in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta, and Matrouh.
The programme trained more than 14,000 refugees and host community members in market driven vocational skills and provided microgrants to establish and grow small businesses. Within six months of the intervention, 39% of participants had engaged in income generating activities, with more than 5,600 people securing employment and increasing their average household income by 62%.
“For many vulnerable families, this programme has restored hope and strengthened their sense of security for the future,” said Rawad Halabi, WFP Country Director and Representative in Egypt. “Through strong partnerships such as this one with KOICA, we are expanding access to the skills and resources people need to build resilience and move towards self reliance.”
“The programme enabled us to strengthen the resilience of refugees and host communities at a time when the refugee situation in Egypt intensified due to developments in Sudan and Syria,” said Sooyoung Park, Country Director of the KOICA Egypt Office. “Through our partnership with WFP, we were able to respond effectively and support sustainable livelihoods while mitigating the impact on host communities.”
The programme also strengthened social cohesion and well being through psychosocial support sessions, with 99 percent of participants reporting improvements in stress management and overall mental well being.
“I feel a sense of safety now that I have a stable source of income that allows me to provide for my family,” said Ahmed, a Sudanese refugee who received training through the programme and is now a business owner. “The business itself and the social connections it created have made me feel like I belong.”
To improve the nutrition of vulnerable refugee women and children, WFP provided monthly cash assistance to 9,500 pregnant and breastfeeding women with children under two years old, conditional on regular health check ups. In partnership with Egypt’s National Nutrition Institute, WFP also delivered nutrition awareness sessions focused on infant feeding during the first 1,000 days of life, contributing to improvements in women’s diets, with 41% meeting minimum dietary diversity, up from 18% at the start of the project.
