CERF allocates $2 million for humanitarian assistance to drought-affected populations in Syria

Illeagal neighborhood in Damascas, Syria [Photo: IRIN]

26 September 2008: Syria is currently experiencing the worst drought in four decades. An estimated 1 million people, mainly farmers and herders, are at risk of rapid loss of livelihood and increased malnutrition. In response, CERF has provided nearly $2 million in emergency funding to UN agencies in the country. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will assist 6,300 destitute farming families and herders who have lost animals as a result of the drought. The World Food Programme (WFP) will distribute three months of food aid to 40,000 households to reduce the sale of assets for food and stave off malnutrition. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will provide 15,000 people with access to safe drinking water. 

 [Last update: 4 November 2008]

 

CERF allocates US$ 5 million to those displaced from Iraq to Syria who no longer have adequate food

Many of those displaced from Iraq to Syria no longer have adequate food and are resorting to selling assets and going into debt to meet their basic needs. The World Food Programme (WFP) aims to save lives through food assistance to these Iraqi refugees in Syria and enabling households that are not yet as destitute to obtain sufficient food.

An estimated 1.8 million Iraqi refugees are currently scattered around the Middle East, with Syria hosting nearly one million of them. [Photo: WFP]

WFP Syria is providing rice, oil and pulses to around 90% of refugees registered with UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) who are in need of basic support. Beneficiaries are receiving a two-month ration of basic commodities from WFP, complemented by commodities from UNHCR, to provide a diversified, balanced diet. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARC) is starting general food distribution in the first week of February to cover the needs of 170, 000 refugees. This number includes life-saving support to 700 Palestinians from Iraq in the Al Hol and Al Tanf camps; the Palestinian refugees in Syria rely totally on food assistance in meeting their food needs.

 
 

[Last update: 29 January 2008]

23 September 2008: The Iraqi refugee crisis in Syria and other countries of the Middle East is one of the most complex and under-reported refugee crises currently taking place. An estimated 2.5 million Iraqis have been displaced and an additional 2-2.5 million have crossed the borders.  Syria hosts the largest Iraqi refugee population, estimated at up to 1.5 million.  As many Iraqi refugees are not considering a return to their home country in a near future, it is expected that the humanitarian challenges posed by the presence of Iraqi refugees in Syria will continue in the foreseeable future. 

In response to refugee needs, CERF allocated $624,000 through its underfunded emergencies window to meet the health care needs of displaced Iraqis and provide psychological support services and reproductive health related care for victims of sexual and gender-based violence. 

CERF in Syria 2006