UK Contribution Provides Syrians With Lifeline of Food

Amid mounting concern about the deepening suffering caused by conflict in Syria, the United Nations World Food Program last week welcomed a generous contribution from the Government of the United Kingdom of $43 million (£28.3 mil) to help provide much-needed food assistance to thousands of Syrians both inside and outside their country.

The donation will supply food rations to displaced families in Syria itself, as well as to half a million refugees in neighboring countries.

WFP will also use the new UK contribution to issue food vouchers to thousands of Syrian refugees who are either sheltering in camps in Turkey or as urban refugees in Lebanon.

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 “The UK’s generosity has given us the freedom to maximize our use of resources” said WFP Emergency Coordinator for the Syria crisis Muhannad Hadi. “For example we provide food vouchers instead of direct food assistance in areas where markets are still functional. This means WFP is supporting both Syrian refugees and host communities, who are suffering increased pressure in these difficult times.”

The UK is also helping WFP scale up its logistics capacity by providing armored vehicles and personal protective equipment to assist field monitors inside Syria move around in dangerous areas.

The UK has contributed £53 million (nearly US$82 million) to WFP’s Syria emergency operation since the beginning of the crisis.

The WFP also received contributions in April of $40 million from the government of Kuwait and $19 million in wheat shipment from the US, a country which so far has given nearly $125.5 million to WFP’s Syria emergency operation.

(Source: WTF)

Photo credit: Syrian children in refugee camp – WTF