Cash assistance for reconstruction in Khoy

Thanks to a UNICEF-supported programme, 473 vulnerable households with children, including some with disabilities, living in earthquake-hit districts of Khoy, West Azerbaijan province, received cash assistance to help them undertake necessary repairs to their damaged homes.

This initiative, which was implemented from March to June 2023, was funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) as part of a collaboration between UNICEF, the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare (MCLSW), and the State Welfare Organization (SWO).

All beneficiary households have commenced the construction process by utilising IRR 144 billion cash transfers they received from UNICEF. The progress rate of each structure ranges from 30 per cent to 90 per cent, demonstrating that they are on track for completion before the onset of the fall season.

Local SWO officials played a crucial role in facilitating and monitoring the cash assistance transfer, ensuring that the targeted households received the required support in an integrated process. Through field visits, UNICEF and SWO ensure that the expenditures align with the agreed-upon plan. They will use this monitoring capacity to assess and report the impact of cash transfers on the well-being of children as well as vulnerable households.

UNICEF has supported families and children affected by the Khoy earthquake in different areas, including health and nutrition, WASH and hygiene, child protection as well as child welfare.

On the night of 28 January 2023, an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit Khoy in northwest Iran. The disaster affected at least 261,000 people and displaced an estimated 130,000 from their homes in sub-zero temperatures.