By Sandy Coburn | Manager, Integrated Fund Development
The Syrian crisis is now in its fourth year. Having fled their homes to escape the conflict, millions of Syrians are now without jobs, money or reliable access to food. The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is running out of funds to provide food for almost 6 million Syrians receiving its life-saving assistance. In Syria, the size of next month’s food ration will be reduced and in neighboring countries the number of refugees receiving food or vouchers will be cut.
WFP has reached a record number of people whose lives have been turned upside down due to this crisis. It is a cruel irony that recently, WFP has had better access inside Syria enabling them us to reach a record number of people in August, including those in hard-to-reach areas. But just as WFP has the potential to scale up, the cupboard is bare, and unless we receive new contributions we will be unable to provide people with desperately needed food.
“We have reached a critical point in our humanitarian response in Syria and in neighboring countries and unless we manage to secure significant funding in the next few days, I am afraid we will have no choice but to scale back our operation,” said Muhannad Hadi, WFP’s Regional Emergency Coordinator for the Syrian crisis.
WFP is funded entirely by contributions from governments, the private sector, other organizations and individuals. Hadi acknowledged that other emergencies were competing for donors’ attention and that aid budgets were stretched. But he said that in Syria, needs were still high and that the international community had made progress in recent weeks in gaining access to many people in hard-to-reach areas.
Muhannad Hadi adds: “The world has come together with huge generosity to provide food and other assistance over the last three years, and it is heart-breaking to think that we can no longer build on that investment that has given some stability to the shattered lives of so many people.”
Help WFP continue to reach as many people as possible in Syria by making a donation today.
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