How Africa News
The World Bank has approved 400 million U.S. dollars in additional financing to help about 900,000 vulnerable Tunisian households cope with the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.
According to Alexandre Arrobbio, World Bank Country Manager for Tunisia, this additional financing will continue to provide cash transfers to poor and low-income households, while strengthening Tunisia’s social protection system.
“As it has everywhere, COVID-19 disproportionately affected the poorest and most vulnerable,” said Arrobbio.
“This additional financing supports Tunisia’s response to the impact of the health crisis as well as its plan to build a more effective and adaptive safety net system for vulnerable populations by supporting the country’s efforts to improve their living conditions.”
This new funding programme will push transfers coverage from 260,000 to 310,000 beneficiary households, which represents 10 percent of the population, and will support the Ministry of Social Affairs’ efforts to improve the targeting and identification of poor households.
It will further extend family allowance program benefits to around 120,000 children who are five years old and under. This and other measures will help to boost the country’s human capital and to break the cycle of poverty across generations.
