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UN to Assist Families Affected by Beirut Blast

VOA News

   The United Nations World Food Program has announced it will help pay
   expenses for people affected by the massive explosion that tore through
   Lebanon's capital city of Beirut in August.

   Approximately 50,000 people, or 10,000 families, will be eligible to
   participate in the WFP program, which will provide funds to meet basic
   needs, such as food and health care, the agency said in a press release
   Thursday. Vulnerable families began to receive $1,114 each month in
   mid-September; the operation is expected to last roughly six months.

   The cash assistance program was spearheaded by the WFP in close
   collaboration with the Lebanese Red Cross and the Lebanese
   non-governmental organization SHIELD.

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