World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

A little girl from Syria at her temporary home in northern Jordan, where thousands of people like her have come in search of refuge from fighting across the border.

WFP is scaling up food assistance to reach a quarter million people by the end of this month inside Syria with plans to reach 500,000 people in the coming weeks.

Syrian refugees receive hot meals in neighbouring Jordan, where WFP began food distributions this week.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent estimates that 400,000 persons have been internally displaced. Most have no way of supporting themselves in the areas they have moved to. Families are quickly running out of food.

Even before the violence broke out in Syria, a food security survey found that 1.4 million people were struggling to meet their daily food needs. Many lived in areas currently affected by conflict.

Economic sanctions and instability have taken a heavy toll on the local economy. Rising prices for food and fuel are major factors contributing to food insecurity throughout the country.

“As the conflict continues, Syrians in areas affected by the violence are struggling to feed their families and WFP is deeply concerned about the potential for food insecurity,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.