Caretaker Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar, during a press conference, June 9, 2023. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's caretaker Minister of Social Affairs, Hector Hajjar, announced on Thursday that the operation to pay social aid to 93,676 Lebanese families — part of the emergency social security program — will begin on Monday June 26 and run for two days, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
"A number of beneficiaries will also receive educational assistance for their children enrolled in public schools. The value of the aid to be paid amounts to 12,309,900 dollars," Hajjar stated.
The transfer of the grant funds was announced at the beginning of June.
This initiative aims to provide emergency social assistance to Lebanon's most vulnerable families, within the framework of the Emergency Social Safety Net (known as Aman or ESSN) financed by the World Bank.
Beneficiaries of the program were selected according to criteria which included family size, special needs and age. Selected beneficiaries have undergone inspection visits, according to the Ministry's press release.
With an economic crisis that has pushed more than 80 percent of the population below the poverty line, Lebanon is in desperate need of social assistance measures that support the country's most vulnerable families.