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ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The spokeswoman of the World Food Program (WFP) in Jordan has praised China for its assistance to helping Syrian refugees in the country.
Welcoming meals donated by China, consisting of basic food items such as canned hummus, bottled water, canned tuna and crackers, help to sustain some Syrian refugees in Jordan, Shaza Mograby told Xinhua in an interview on Sunday at the Zaatari refugee camp, some 70 km north of the capital Amman.
"These welcoming meals are enough to sustain these refugees until they are officially enrolled into the WFP's food assistance program," said Mograby, describing the donations as "generous."
The planned number of people to benefit from the donations in 2017 is 4,000 Syrians each month, Mograby said.
Under an agreement signed last September between China's Ministry of Commerce and the WFP, China will donate 2 million U.S. dollars to Jordan and Lebanon to help Syrian refugees in the two countries.
With 1.5 million dollars allocated to Jordan, China's contribution will also help the WFP run two kitchens set up inside the camps to support the school meals program, which could provide the Syrian refugees' children more healthy and diverse food.
"China is not only providing life-saving assistance through the welcoming meals, but also investing in Syria's next generation," said Mograby.
According to the WFP spokeswoman, these kitchens, which will be ready very soon this month, are expected to feed around 12,300 students per year. They will also provide cash-for-work assistance for Syrian women involved in the project.
"The students will be receiving fresh oven-baked pastries as well as pieces of fruits and vegetables... packaged and made by women and men living in Zaatari camp," said Mograby.
Zaatari refugee camp, first opened on July 2012, is currently home to more than 79,000 Syrians, the majority of whom are women and children, according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR.
Jordan says it has provided refuge to nearly 1.3 million Syrians, more than 600,000 of whom are registered. Of these, around 100,000 live in refugee camps, while the vast majority live in "non-camp settings" in rural and urban areas.
