The United Nations World Food Programme, WFP announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to contribute $3 million dollars towards a project to help the urban poor cope with high food prices.

On Tuesday, WPF signed a letter of agreement to support a new cash voucher project in partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) in Kabul.

The $3 Million that the WFP are contributing over a 6 month period will enable food assistance through monthly cash vouchers to extremely vulnerable urban households in Kabul and MoLSAMD will provide four locations to be used as voucher distribution centers at a total cost of about US$40,000.

About 18,900 households including some 113,000 individuals, mostly poor women and households headed by the disabled will benefit from the project. Each monthly voucher is worth $25 U.S. Dollars, 1,250 Afghanis and can be exchanged for food items in selected local shops.

“We are launching this project after the successful implementation of similar programs in other Afghan cities where it has had a positive impact on household food security,” said WFP Deputy Country Director Bradley Guerrant.

“We are very happy to be working in partnership with MoLSAMD to help contain the impact of high food prices on the Afghan urban poor.”

WFP is also implementing voucher projects in Mazar, Hirat and Jalalabad cities, in addition to Kabul.