ACTED: Getting families back on their feet in Libya

ACTED is helping the most vulnerable conflict-affected families in Benghazi, Tripoli, and Sebha to fulfill their life-saving needs in a dignified manner.

Since the onset of the 2011 conflict, Libya has experienced massive population displacements that plunged the country into a protracted humanitarian crisis. Despite recent trends highlight a decrease in displacement, the situation for many is worsening, with over 1.1 million in need of assistance (2018 Humanitarian Needs Overview).

Access to basic goods and services has become a particularly acute challenge in Libya, as many families are faced with decreasing purchasing power and a lack of access to cash. For example, from June to December 2018, the price of food rose by 20%. This is partly due to the depreciation of the Libyan dinar on the parallel markets, which has been driving import costs upwards. Meeting the basic needs of internally displaced, returnee, and non-displaced families across Libya, therefore, presents an inherent priority for the international community in responding to the crisis.

In response, with the support of UNHCR, ACTED provided between 240 to 720 EUR in cash assistance to 1,139 of the most vulnerable people, including internally displaced people, returnees, and host communities in Tripoli, Benghazi, and Sabha.

The primary advantage of providing cash-based assistance is the freedom of choice given to the beneficiary families. With cash assistance, the project beneficiaries are empowered to make their own decisions concerning how to effectively manage their needs. As such, cash is one of the quickest and most effective ways to help people get back on their feet and on their way to recovery when crises strike. In fact, more than half of the families benefiting from the programme reported that the cash in combination with their monthly salary allowed them to meet all of their monthly basic needs.

In 2018, ACTED will continue to give families the power to buy what they need when they need it through further cash transfers.

Original source: ACTED
Published on 18 May 2018