DAMASCUS – Amid the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Aleppo, the World Food Programme (WFP) has rushed in to provide hot meals, bread, and food rations to thousands of Syrians affected by the brutal conflict.
More than 20,000 people displaced by the fighting in east Aleppo are receiving hot meals and fresh bread every day, and WFP has mobilized food stocks to meet the food needs of up to 150,000 people. So far, 14,000 displaced people and returnees have received family food rations and ready-to-eat parcels in various parts of Aleppo city and its surroundings. WFP is providing bread as nearly all bakeries inside east Aleppo have been destroyed due to constant bombardment and airstrikes.
“For months, the world has watched as the cruelty of war has descended upon the people of Aleppo,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “As Aleppo and its people have suffered, so has our collective humanity. All Syrians – no matter where they are – deserve nothing less than food, shelter and safety from the continuing conflict.”
Many of those that WFP has assisted are in a desperate state. In many cases, people have lost homes, their livelihoods, and family members and friends.
Beyond Aleppo, WFP is supporting more than 4 million Syrians affected by the conflict. There are nearly 1 million people residing in areas that remain besieged that WFP cannot reach on a regular basis.
# # #
The World Food Programme is the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and the world’s leading humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate extremes.
Broadcast quality footage shot recently in east Aleppo available for viewing here: https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/VBcQaGh5-owG8ISvN.mp4
For more information, please contact (email address: [email protected]):
Abeer Etefa, WFP/Cairo, Tel. +2010 66634352
Dana Sacchetti, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 6513 3234, Mob. +39 349 980 0442
Bettina Luescher, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41 22 917 8564, Mob. +41 79 842 8057
Gerald Bourke, WFP/New York, Tel. +1 646 5566909, Mob. +1 646 525 9982
Steve Taravella, WFP/Washington DC, Tel. +1 202 6531149, Mob. +1 202 7705993
Support WFP’s food assistance efforts to millions of people impacted by the Syrian crisis in and around Syria.
