Jordan
Since the onset of the Syrian crisis in 2011, over 650,000 Syrian refugees have entered Jordan and registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). According to data from UNHCR Jordan, as of March 2017, 79% of registered Syrian refugees live outside of traditional refugee camps. As of May 2017, 93% of urban Syrian refugees in Jordan lived below the poverty line. UNHCR Jordan provides cash assistance to the most vulnerable Syrian refugees living outside of Jordan’s camps. As of February 2017, UNHCR Jordan’s monthly cash assistance reached 30,000 of the most vulnerable Syrian families, totalling 135,783 Syrians. In addition to monthly cash assistance, UNHCR Jordan also provides winterization supplements to help families prepare for cold temperatures. According to UNHCR’s 2014 Jordan Home Visits Report, UNHCR Jordan’s iris-scan cash assistance program has “contributed to a 20% reduction in the number of [families] living below the poverty threshold of 50 JOD/month (71 USD)”.
