Emergency
Syria
- 12.9 million
- people are food insecure
- 2.6 million
- people are at risk of hunger
- US$54.4 million
- needed to cover six months of emergency assistance
More than half the population in Syria is facing food insecurity amid protracted conflict, with approximately 3 million people in the grip of severe hunger conditions.
A desperate situation has been worsened as thousands of people flee into the country from war-torn Lebanon, with an estimated 280,000 people having crossed into Syria so far.
Syrians are stepping in to host families escaping violence in Lebanon, making a highly challenging situation even more critical.
WFP has scaled up to provide food assistance at every critical juncture, from border crossings to host centres and in host communities. To date, WFP has reached over 100,000 people.
The United Nations projects that the number of newly displaced people requiring assistance in Syria could reach up to 500,000. To meet this demand, WFP urgently requires US$54.4 million to cover six months of emergency assistance.
What the World Food Programme is doing to respond to the Syria emergency
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Emergency response
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An emergency response was activated within hours of the escalation of hostilities ins Lebanon, to cope with an influx of people fleeing the war. WFP has reached over 100,000 people with critical food assistance. However, as the situation evolves, WFP anticipates that the most pressing needs will be within the host communities. WFP teams are working to locate and identify those in need so that they can receive the necessary support.
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Food assistance
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The end of the food-assistance programme will affect the 3.2 million people who continued to receive this support after July 2023, when WFP had to reduce its caseload from 5.5 million – also because of funding shortfalls. All other programmes of WFP, including school meals, nutrition prevention and treatment, and early recovery, continue at similar levels.
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Nutrition
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WFP’s nutrition programme helps children get the best possible start in life and supports pregnant and nursing mothers in fighting and preventing malnutrition. WFP currently supports over 300,000 pregnant and nursing women and girls, and children aged between 6 months and 2 years, to access nutrient-rich foods and improve their diets across all 14 governorates in Syria. This includes supporting women with value vouchers to diversify their diets, improve vitamin and mineral intake, and meet their nutritional needs.
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School meals
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WFP provides fortified snacks, fresh meals and food assistance, through electronic vouchers, to more than 460,000 students. This food is a key step in helping improve students’ health and nutrition, while motivating their families to keep sending them to school. The fresh school meals programme in Aleppo trains and employs vulnerable women to prepare the fresh meals, providing them with an income to support their families and become financially independent.
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Livelihoods
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To promote self-sufficient communities and reduce their reliance on urgent assistance, WFP helps families across Syria to restore their livelihoods, improve their food security and enhance their resilience to future shocks. Through vocational training and the rehabilitation of local infrastructure, such as irrigation channels and bakeries, Syrian families will have the opportunities to remain on their farms, grow their own food and improve their incomes.
How you can help
Your donation will make a difference. Support WFP’s work to save and change the lives of families across Syria. Together we can help Syrians to access emergency assistance and rebuild their lives.
Donate now