6.1 million
Internally displaced persons
5.6 million
Number of registered Syria refugees
3 million
People reached by WFP in Syria each month
The Situation
Over the past seven years, the conflict in Syria has taken a devastating toll on the lives of the Syrian people and has led to one of the largest humanitarian crises since World War II. More than half the country’s population has been displaced and 13.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Soaring food and fuel prices, stagnant salaries and the loss and disruption of livelihoods and arable lands have led to widespread food insecurity across the country. As of November 2018, 6.5 million people are food insecure.
Meanwhile, Syria’s development situation has regressed by nearly four decades. Since 2011, the average life expectancy has dropped by more than 20 years and school attendance has dropped by more than 50 percent, with around 1.7 million children now out of school. Today, seven out of 10 Syrians live in extreme poverty.
World Food Programme's Work
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been active in Syria since 1961.
In response to the alarming situation in Syria right now, WFP has been providing life-saving food assistance in order to save lives and protect livelihoods in all 14 governorates, including hard-to-reach and besieged areas. Under this program, WFP reaches some 3 million people each month.
In addition to providing general food assistance, WFP has introduced activities to address the specific nutrition needs and education concerns of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children. This includes blanket supplementary feeding for children aged 6 months to 59 months to prevent malnutrition; nutritional support for pregnant and nursing women, aiming to increase their dietary diversity; and fortified school snacks for school-aged children to encourage enrollment and regular attendance rates and improve their micronutrient intake.
The U.N. agency has also been providing logistics and telecommunications support to the wider humanitarian community operating in Syria since 2013.
Support for Syria
Today, more than a third of the country's population has fled the ongoing civil war. More than half of the refugees are children. To support WFP's response to the crisis in Syria, donate today.
DonateArticles About Syria
WFP Convoy Reaches Syrian Settlement Isolated from Aid
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Rebuilding a Life in Lebanon
Hussein, a seasoned construction worker, built an oasis. It was on this rooftop in Damascus that he and his son, Mohamed, would gaze up at the night sky. One night,…
World food program usa
Dreaming Big in Idlib
Shadia’s struggles inspire her to one day become a doctor.
World food programme
Syria: All Eyes on Idlib
The United Nations is warning of a potential “humanitarian catastrophe” in the last major rebel stronghold in the Syrian civil war involving tens of thousands of civilians.
World food program usa
Back to School Supply: Date Bars & Milk
Since 2014, school meals inside Syria have restored a sense of normalcy for hundreds of thousands of children trapped by war.
Peak Displacement in Syria
Halfway through the year, an alarming number of families have newly fled their homes for safety, making the World Food Programme’s (WFP) efforts to deliver food and nutrition assistance a…
World food program usa
Why Conflict and Hunger Have the World’s Attention
This past May, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved a resolution officially recognizing the link between conflict and hunger for the first time. The measure (#2417-2018) calls on parties to…
Ann Nallo
When food and music change lives
Mustafa Alsagheer sold his most prized possession to save his daughter’s life. But as the health care bills mounted, his family’s livelihood was left hanging in the balance. This is…
Children Sleeping in Open Air
Escalating violence in southern Syria continues to displace families from their homes.
World food program usa
Hacking Hunger Episode #29: A Storytellers Farewell
Guest Bio: Yocelin Ramírez García Yocelin lives in a village called Oscurana, Guatemala, where the nearest source of water is a 45-minute trek on foot. Guest Bio: Hamda Hamda is…