New WFP app empowers shoppers and helps them get more for their money

Countries: Lebanon; + 1 more
Sources: WFP
Publication date: July 12, 2018
Origin: View original

BEIRUT – The World Food Programme (WFP) has announced the nationwide availability of a smartphone application that uses geo-location services to identify the closest and best food deals in Lebanon. Dalili - ‘my guide’ in Arabic - collates prices and promotions of hundreds of staple food items in WFP-contracted shops across the country.

The app is designed to help Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese families receiving WFP food assistance via electronic cards. With the e-card having a top-up limit of US$27 per person per month, this app helps them get the most from the credit on their cards. With a few taps on a smartphone, the e-card holder can see which of the 500 shops nationwide have the best offers.

“When families have limited funds, they need to get the most out of the available resources,” explains WFP Country Director Abdallah Alwardat. “Dalili unleashes the power of the market to better serve the poorest and most vulnerable families in Lebanon.”

WFP knows that 90 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon have limited access to food – and, consequently, are never wholly food secure.

Dalili was developed a year ago by WFP staff in Beirut with support from WFP’s Munich-based Innovation Accelerator. The app went through several rounds of testing with refugees in Lebanon. A great deal of effort went into making it accessible for people with limited digital skills.

The app also helps boost market-efficiency, improving competition between shops and making prices affordable for shoppers. Dalili is currently available to download from both Google Play and the iTunes Store. See www.dalili.io

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The United Nations World Food Programme - saving lives in emergencies and changing lives for millions through sustainable development. WFP works in more than 80 countries around the world, feeding people caught in conflict and disasters, and laying the foundations for a better future.

For more information please contact (email address: firstname.lastname@wfp.org):
Edward Johnson, WFP/Beirut, Mob. +961 76320761
Dina ElKassaby, WFP/Cairo, Mob. +20 101 5218882