Fighting Hunger Worldwide WFP Response to the Syria Crisis Funding Appeal to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Emergency Food Assistance to Vulnerable Syrian Populations inside Syria and the Neighbouring Countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt Now into its fifth year, the conflict in Syria has become increasingly more entrenched and damaging to the civilian population. The prolonged crisis continues unabated and the humanitarian impact inside the country and in the region is both widening and deepening. With no immediate prospects of an end to the conflict, displacement in countries across the region is becoming a more lasting situation for millions of refugees. By now, 7.6 million people are internally displaced in Syria, while almost 4 million people have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees. Sustained displacement, large-scale infrastructural damage and inadequacy of basic services have progressively eroded available resources and shrunk households resilience capacity. Latest estimates indicate that at the end of 2014, humanitarian needs have doubled since the beginning of the crisis, with 12.2 million people now in need of various forms of humanitarian assistance inside Syria. Within Syria, some 9.8 million people, approximately half of the country s population, are currently in need of various level of food, agriculture and livelihood-related assistance. Of these, 6.8 million people are believed to be in urgent need of food assistance. In the region, over a quarter of a million new refugees were registered by UNHCR during the first quarter of 2015 alone, bringing the total number of registered refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt to almost 4 million. As the crisis persists, refugees are exhausting their savings and resources, becoming more vulnerable, and are increasingly at risk of resorting to negative coping mechanisms. Millions remain in need of lifesaving humanitarian assistance and international protection. Refugees continue to stream across borders and current projections indicate a continued influx of refugees to neighbouring countries with an uncertain timetable for their return.
Inside Syria Since October 2011, WFP has been providing monthly emergency food assistance to meet the basic needs of families whose food security has Components been critically and abruptly compromised by the crisis in Syria. Initially targeting 50,000 people, WFP s response in Syria rapidly scaled up and is currently aiming to meet the needs of more than 4 million vulnerable Syrians through a variety of activities including general food distributions, nutrition support young children and pregnant and nursing women, and early recovery activities such as school feeding. General Food Distribution targets the most vulnerable households across all 14 Syrian governorates, prioritizing displaced households, families without a regular and stable source of income, vulnerable host communities, persons with disabilities and the most vulnerable resident families living in high conflict areas. Eligible families receive monthly food rations - consisting of rice, bulgur wheat, pasta, dried and canned pulses, vegetable oil, tomato paste, salt and sugar providing up to 1,646 Kcal per person per day. In areas with limited availability of bread, the monthly food rations would also include wheat flour, which is either distributed directly to the families or channelled through local partners to local bakeries, which in turn produce and distribute bread to vulnerable households. Nutrition Support Programmes complement the monthly food rations and includes provision of specialised nutrition products to prevent acute malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies among children under the age of five living in both host communities and collective shelters across the countries, as well as monthly voucher support to pregnant and nursing women to improve their dietary diversity. Under this activity, each targeted pregnant and nursing woman receives a voucher worth 4,800 Syrian Pounds every month, redeemable for fresh food items not included in the regular family food ration such as fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products. School Feeding Programme aims to regularize attendance and increase enrolment levels whilst improving micronutrient intake amongst vulnerable primary school children whose lives have been severely disrupted by the prolonged conflict. Each student attending school day receives a packet of highly nutritious date bars of 334 kcal per day, able to cover up to 75 percent of the child s recommended daily nutritional needs. Over the course of 2015, WFP plans to further scale up its assistance to reach a total of 4.5 million people, by introducing livelihoods strengthening activities in areas of relative stability as well as a targeted supplementary feeding programme to treat infant malnutrition. In the Region In response to increasing humanitarian needs and in alignment with the inter-agency Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), WFP continues to scale up its response throughout the region aiming to reach some 2 million people by December 2015. This includes both Syrian refugees and non- Syrian vulnerable population, such as Palestinian refugees from Syria as well as vulnerable host populations in Lebanon. Support to vulnerable refugees is provided primarily through WFP s voucher programme which allows refugees to purchase food commodities of their own preference in WFP contracted shops, while also strengthening existing markets and injecting much needed funds into the local economies. The WFP voucher programme provides Syrian refugees with the dignity of choice by empowering them to make their own food purchasing decisions, as well as returning a certain sense of normalcy to the lives of those accustomed to shopping in commercial market environments. Every month, each targeted refugee receives a voucher entitlement at an average value of US$28. Additional programmes in the region include monthly food parcels to newly arrived refugees awaiting registration, safety net assistance to individuals excluded by vulnerability targeting, supplementary feeding programmes, and school feeding programmes. WFP works hand in hand with experienced non-governmental partner organisations to ensure assistance is provided according to needs, in a timely and accountable way. In addition to providing critical life-saving support for refugees, the WFP voucher programme provides significant support to local economies and has substantial macro-economic benefits for the hosting countries. Since the start of operations, WFP's regional voucher programme has injected a total of US$1.02 billion into the local economies.
Funding Challenges Thanks to the generosity of donors, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, WFP is able to provide support to millions of refugees in need of food throughout in the region. However, it continues to face funding challenges as the humanitarian needs continue to deepen - despite having accelerated targeting plans to focus assistance only on those who need it the most. The lack of sufficient funds has forced WFP to reduce the level of assistance given to Syrian refugees throughout the region, reducing the value of their food entitlement by an average of 30 percent since the beginning of 2015. This year s current funding outlook for the year does not leave WFP with any choice but to further prioritize within its current targeting plans. With the persistent lack of funds, our plans for the next few months reflect a continued voucher reduction of 30 percent in the region and a reduced food basket (approximately 21 percent) inside Syria. Unless pledges quickly materialize, WFP will be forced into deeper cuts of up to 50-70 percent in some of the regional countries from July onwards. This, as we have already begun to witness, will have an immediate impact on the food security status of our target population. Impact of Underfunding The Syria Crisis continues with no political solution in sight. Rather, conflict is increasing as are the humanitarian needs, whether inside Syria or for the refugees in the neighboring countries. In the absence of additional funding support, WFP will be forced to make further significant cuts to its assistance in Syria and the region with significant implications on the food security situation of vulnerable Syrians. Following the start of reductions earlier this year, refugees across the region were forced to get by with less food or to find alternative ways of generating income to buy the food they need. Significantly, assessments by WFP in Jordan and Lebanon found that refugees were already reducing portion sizes and eating cheaper food, prioritizing children s food needs, purchasing only the most essential items and asking neighbours and family members for assistance and, in some cases, relying on borrowing. In Mafraq town in Jordan, 40 percent of female headed households had sent a child from the family to beg. Adopting such coping strategies will not only adversely affect the food security of the vulnerable Syrians, but will often expose them to exploitation and other significant protection concerns. Further reduction in WFP s support may lead to further relocation in the search for food. Many beneficiaries in Jordan and Lebanon mentioned relocating, including returning to Syria, if cuts sustain. With reduced, or no assistance, especially where work is not allowed for the Syrian refugees, it is inevitable that extreme measures will be taken when struggling to feed their children, including resorting to crime. Such situations could become more and more, further serious negatively affecting the security of the area in which they live. Such cuts may also impact the generosity of host countries and put additional strain on already heavily affected communities hosting large numbers of refugees. Tensions between refugees and the communities that host them throughout the region are increasing, as exemplified by recent events in Lebanon and Turkey over the past months. Scaling back available assistance will likely further provoke such situations. Assistance during Ramadan During the month of July 2015 - the seventh month of cuts in food assistance to vulnerable Syrians - which coincides with the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid el Fitr, WFP is keen not to add to the Syrians suffering. WFP appeals for an immediate US$99 million to reach almost 6 million vulnerable Syrians inside Syria and the neighbouring countries with vital food assistance. Similarly, post-distribution monitoring for the first quarter of 2015 in Jordan indicated that 24 percent of surveyed families were reported having to reduce their expenditure on education and health; 13 percent sent under-aged children to work, while 20 percent had withdrawn children from school.
Country # People Target groups Modality Syria 4,250,000 Lebanon 854,690 Vulnerable Internally Displaced People and Host Communities, Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) and vulnerable Lebanese General Food Distribution Food Vouchers for Pregnant and Nursing Women E-cards Food parcels to refugees awaiting registration Total Requirements US$ (million) 44 27 Jordan 429,273 in camps and in communities E-cards and daily fresh bread (camps) E-cards (communities) School feeding Supplementary feeding programmes 14 Turkey 300,000 in camps and in communities E-cards 9 Iraq 88,102 Refugees in camps Egypt 63,446 and Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) E-cards in most camps In-kind food assistance E-cards and paper vouchers TOTAL 99 3 2 Reporting Any donation received in 2015 will be reported in the 2015 Standard Project Report (SPR) that will be released in early 2016. The SPR is the principle means through which WFP informs donors how resources for given projects were obtained, utilized and accounted for during the preceding year. The report will be available at: http://www.wfp.org/ government-donors. In addition, WFP issues and disseminates regular situation updates, which provide an overview of current achievements, challenges and needs pertaining to WFP s response to the Syria crisis in Syria and the region. Visibility WFP will strive to ensure that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia receives its due recognition and visibility for its timely contribution so that Saudi constituents and the people served understand the Kingdom s support to this important humanitarian crisis. Visibility may be pursued through multiple channels, including social media, public statements, donor signage or logos, among others. WFP is very grateful for the generosity and continuous support of the Kingdom and People of Saudi Arabia. As the crisis continues to escalate, and given the ongoing critical funding situation, continued and extraordinary additional support is needed to cover immediate humanitarian needs, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. For more information contact: Abdallah Alwardat Director, World Food Programme UAE Office Abdallah.Alwardat@wfp.org +971 506406525