Italy grants UNICEF 1.5m euros for children’s social protection programme

AMMAN — The government of Italy on Wednesday announced a 1.5-million-euro grant to UNICEF to support implementing “Hajati”, an integrated social protection programme targeting the most vulnerable children in Jordan, a UNICEF statement said. 

The announcement was made during an agreement signing event attended by Italian Ambassador Giovanni Brauzzi and UNICEF’s Representative, Robert Jenkins.

The new contribution will be used to support vulnerable school-aged children, both Syrian and Jordanian, who are out of school or at risk of dropping out of school, to support their enrolment and retention in public schools, the statement said. 

“Hajati” (“my need” in Arabic), is a new social protection programme implemented in the most vulnerable districts across Jordan, which aims to reach 100,000 vulnerable children. The new programme will strengthen the resilience of families through a comprehensive package of social protection services involving cash assistance, case management, and school attendance monitoring, the statement read. 

“UNICEF is very grateful for the generous contribution of the Italian government, which will support families’ resilience and will mitigate negative coping mechanisms directly affecting children’s well-being,” Jenkins said, adding “we continue our commitment to supporting efforts ensuring that every child in Jordan has sustainable access to learning opportunities through formal education”. 

“The Hajati social protection programme will be key to ensuring the most vulnerable children are able to enroll in and attend schools in Jordan. We look forward to our partnership with UNICEF to support this important goal”, Brauzzi noted.