Poverty graduation: PPAF and UNHCR sign agreement to help Afghan refugees

Will take poverty graduation approach to assist ultra-poor and vulenerable

Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have signed an agreement for jointly taking forward the poverty graduation approach with the ultra-poor and vulnerable poor Afghan refugee population residing in districts Pishin and Swabi of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces,
respectively. The initiative aims at making an effort to graduate the Afghan refugee population and their host families up the poverty scales and simultaneously providing them with sustainable livelihoods.

The Poverty Graduation Pilot for Afghan Refugee Families will help develop the capacities, opportunities, assets and productivity of Afghan refugees and their host families to reduce their vulnerability to shocks, improve their livelihoods and strengthen their business operations.



The signing ceremony was attended by UNHCR Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Ruvendrini Menikdiwela and Chief Executive Officer, PPAF, Qazi Azmat Isa along with officials from the two organisations. The collaboration will benefit 2,000 families out of which 70% households would be those residing in settled camps and 30% of households would be that of host families based in the project areas.

Speaking on the occasion, Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, Country Representative, UNHCR said, “Poverty graduation is practical approach, with the potential to contribute towards the creation of durable and sustainable solutions for refugees who live in Pakistan”. Qazi Azmat Isa, CEO PPAF hoped that this partnership of a pilot initiative will help to graduate Refugees and their host local families out of poverty.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2018.