WFP / SYRIA HUNGER
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STORY: WFP / SYRIA HUNGER
TRT: 06:48
SOURCE: WFP
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WFP ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 06 - 10 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO / DAMASCUS, SYRIA
SHOTLIST:
06-07 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
1. Wide shot, sunrise, call to prayer
2. Various shots, people, rubble
3. Various shots, people living in apartments near the frontlines damaged during the war
4. Various shots, people in their ruined neighborhoods
5. Various shots, people living in public playgrounds and parks, Al-Shahba public garden,
6. Various shots, woman foraging for edible plants, Al-Shahba public garden
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah, internally displaced person:
“The war was difficult; we’ve been through so much, like hunger and shelling. My husband and my brother were killed, but even those days were easier than now.”
8. Various shots, displaced people living in public schools, WFP distributing food
10 MARCH 2023, DAMASCUS, SYRIA
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Kenn Crossley, Syria Country Director, World Food Programme (WFP):
“There are neighborhoods in Aleppo which are almost gone. They have been reduced to rubble. All their productive livelihoods, the buildings, the shelters, the places where people were living…gone. The earthquake came, and people from there had to move again. They had to move to schools. They had to move to mosques. There was a strong civil society, cooperating partners, NGO’s working to provide hot meals and shelters to them, but really productive livelihoods are what people want, productive livelihoods are what people need, but they have been relying on huge amounts of humanitarian assistance.”
07 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
12. Various shots, rubble
06 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
13. Various shots, Nawal Shaban bringing WFP food ration, schoolroom, damaged neighborhood, house
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nawal Shaban, internally displaced person:
“I fled Idlib when fighting intensified there in 2018, 5 years ago. I came here so my children could continue their education, and because there was no work there, my family and I were in danger from the war.’
15. Various shots, WFP distributing food rations
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nawal Shaban, internally displaced person:
“We’re unable to buy enough food for the children. Many foods are out of reach, like meat and chicken. Electricity is expensive too.”
17. Various shots, market
18. Various shots, kids being tested for malnutrition
10 MARCH 2023, DAMASCUS, SYRIA
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Kenn Crossley, Syria Country Director, World Food Programme (WFP):
“There has been a pandemic; there has been a deep, pervasive economic crisis. There’s all the heritage of a displaced population which has no productive infrastructure which it can work with. You pile these things together. Hunger is, in fact, getting worse right when it feels like peace and stability are slowly getting better and better and better in Syria.”
07 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
20. Various shots, Muna walking in her neighborhood damaged by war and earthquake
21. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Muna, internally displaced person:
“All we can do is hope that this war, this crisis, will come to an end. I have big hope that my children can continue their education. God willing.”
22. Various shots, Muna preparing meals, children eating
STORYLINE:
Half of Syria’s population faces hunger as conflict passes 12-year milestone and earthquakes deepen economic woes, said the World Food Programme (WFP)
An average monthly wage in Syria currently covers about a quarter of a family’s food needs, the UN World Food Programme said today, highlighting an urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance as the country grapples with the devastating impact of recent earthquakes and a 12-year-long conflict.
Some 12.1 million people, more than 50 percent of the population, are currently food insecure, and a further 2.9 million are at risk of sliding into hunger. Meanwhile, recent data show that malnutrition is rising, with stunting and maternal malnutrition rates reaching levels never seen before.
“Bombardment, displacement, isolation, drought, economic meltdown, and now earthquakes of staggering proportions. Syrians are remarkably resilient, but there’s only so much that people can take,” says Kenn Crossley, WFP Country Director in Syria.
“At what point does the world say enough?”
The February 6 earthquakes came as food prices in Syria were already soaring.
The selection of standard food items that WFP uses to track food inflation has almost doubled in price in 12 months and is 13 times more expensive than three years ago. The upwards trajectory is expected to continue.
The recent earthquakes have highlighted the urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance in Syria, not only for people hit by the earthquakes but also for those who were already grappling with sky-rocketing food prices, a fuel crisis, and consecutive climate shocks.
After years of inflation and currency devaluation, food and fuel prices are at their highest in a decade.
Stunting rates among children have reached 28 percent in some parts of the country, and maternal malnutrition prevalence is 25 percent in northeast Syria.
A country that used to be self-sufficient in food production now ranks among the six countries with the highest food insecurity in the world, with heavy dependency on food imports.
Damaged infrastructure, high fuel costs, and drought-like conditions have slashed Syria’s wheat production by 75 percent.
WFP provides food assistance for 5.5 million people across the country, a mixture of food distributions, nutrition programmes, school meals, cash assistance, and support for livelihoods, resilience, and social safety nets.
Since the earthquake hit north Syria, WFP has reached 1.7 million quake-affected people, including those already benefiting from monthly food assistance.
But a funding crunch for WFP in Syria threatens to curtail the assistance exactly when people need it most.
WFP urgently requires a minimum of US$ 450 million to keep up assistance for over 5.5 million people across Syria for the rest of 2023.
This includes US$ 150 million to support 800,000 people affected by the earthquake for six months.
Without sufficient resources, WFP will have to drastically reduce the number of beneficiaries it serves from July onwards, leaving millions of people in deep need without food assistance.
“‘The world has now forgotten us. That’s what we hear from many Syrians, and it’s a stark reminder that we need to do more,” said WFP’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, Corinne Fleischer.
“We need the funds to continue to provide food for millions of families -- until Syrians can feed themselves again.”
As well as providing immediate food assistance, WFP is working on finding long-term solutions to help communities in Syria become less reliant on direct food assistance.
Across Syria, WFP supports rehabilitating irrigation systems, mills, bakeries, and markets. Such projects carry a greater return on investment compared to traditional food distributions.
For example, each US$ 1 invested in the rehabilitation of bakeries or irrigation canals can reduce the annual cost of general food assistance by over US$ 3.
TRT: 06:48
SOURCE: WFP
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT WFP ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 06 - 10 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO / DAMASCUS, SYRIA
SHOTLIST:
06-07 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
1. Wide shot, sunrise, call to prayer
2. Various shots, people, rubble
3. Various shots, people living in apartments near the frontlines damaged during the war
4. Various shots, people in their ruined neighborhoods
5. Various shots, people living in public playgrounds and parks, Al-Shahba public garden,
6. Various shots, woman foraging for edible plants, Al-Shahba public garden
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sabah, internally displaced person:
“The war was difficult; we’ve been through so much, like hunger and shelling. My husband and my brother were killed, but even those days were easier than now.”
8. Various shots, displaced people living in public schools, WFP distributing food
10 MARCH 2023, DAMASCUS, SYRIA
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Kenn Crossley, Syria Country Director, World Food Programme (WFP):
“There are neighborhoods in Aleppo which are almost gone. They have been reduced to rubble. All their productive livelihoods, the buildings, the shelters, the places where people were living…gone. The earthquake came, and people from there had to move again. They had to move to schools. They had to move to mosques. There was a strong civil society, cooperating partners, NGO’s working to provide hot meals and shelters to them, but really productive livelihoods are what people want, productive livelihoods are what people need, but they have been relying on huge amounts of humanitarian assistance.”
07 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
12. Various shots, rubble
06 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
13. Various shots, Nawal Shaban bringing WFP food ration, schoolroom, damaged neighborhood, house
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nawal Shaban, internally displaced person:
“I fled Idlib when fighting intensified there in 2018, 5 years ago. I came here so my children could continue their education, and because there was no work there, my family and I were in danger from the war.’
15. Various shots, WFP distributing food rations
16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nawal Shaban, internally displaced person:
“We’re unable to buy enough food for the children. Many foods are out of reach, like meat and chicken. Electricity is expensive too.”
17. Various shots, market
18. Various shots, kids being tested for malnutrition
10 MARCH 2023, DAMASCUS, SYRIA
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Kenn Crossley, Syria Country Director, World Food Programme (WFP):
“There has been a pandemic; there has been a deep, pervasive economic crisis. There’s all the heritage of a displaced population which has no productive infrastructure which it can work with. You pile these things together. Hunger is, in fact, getting worse right when it feels like peace and stability are slowly getting better and better and better in Syria.”
07 MARCH 2023, ALEPPO, SYRIA
20. Various shots, Muna walking in her neighborhood damaged by war and earthquake
21. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Muna, internally displaced person:
“All we can do is hope that this war, this crisis, will come to an end. I have big hope that my children can continue their education. God willing.”
22. Various shots, Muna preparing meals, children eating
STORYLINE:
Half of Syria’s population faces hunger as conflict passes 12-year milestone and earthquakes deepen economic woes, said the World Food Programme (WFP)
An average monthly wage in Syria currently covers about a quarter of a family’s food needs, the UN World Food Programme said today, highlighting an urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance as the country grapples with the devastating impact of recent earthquakes and a 12-year-long conflict.
Some 12.1 million people, more than 50 percent of the population, are currently food insecure, and a further 2.9 million are at risk of sliding into hunger. Meanwhile, recent data show that malnutrition is rising, with stunting and maternal malnutrition rates reaching levels never seen before.
“Bombardment, displacement, isolation, drought, economic meltdown, and now earthquakes of staggering proportions. Syrians are remarkably resilient, but there’s only so much that people can take,” says Kenn Crossley, WFP Country Director in Syria.
“At what point does the world say enough?”
The February 6 earthquakes came as food prices in Syria were already soaring.
The selection of standard food items that WFP uses to track food inflation has almost doubled in price in 12 months and is 13 times more expensive than three years ago. The upwards trajectory is expected to continue.
The recent earthquakes have highlighted the urgent need for increased humanitarian assistance in Syria, not only for people hit by the earthquakes but also for those who were already grappling with sky-rocketing food prices, a fuel crisis, and consecutive climate shocks.
After years of inflation and currency devaluation, food and fuel prices are at their highest in a decade.
Stunting rates among children have reached 28 percent in some parts of the country, and maternal malnutrition prevalence is 25 percent in northeast Syria.
A country that used to be self-sufficient in food production now ranks among the six countries with the highest food insecurity in the world, with heavy dependency on food imports.
Damaged infrastructure, high fuel costs, and drought-like conditions have slashed Syria’s wheat production by 75 percent.
WFP provides food assistance for 5.5 million people across the country, a mixture of food distributions, nutrition programmes, school meals, cash assistance, and support for livelihoods, resilience, and social safety nets.
Since the earthquake hit north Syria, WFP has reached 1.7 million quake-affected people, including those already benefiting from monthly food assistance.
But a funding crunch for WFP in Syria threatens to curtail the assistance exactly when people need it most.
WFP urgently requires a minimum of US$ 450 million to keep up assistance for over 5.5 million people across Syria for the rest of 2023.
This includes US$ 150 million to support 800,000 people affected by the earthquake for six months.
Without sufficient resources, WFP will have to drastically reduce the number of beneficiaries it serves from July onwards, leaving millions of people in deep need without food assistance.
“‘The world has now forgotten us. That’s what we hear from many Syrians, and it’s a stark reminder that we need to do more,” said WFP’s Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, Corinne Fleischer.
“We need the funds to continue to provide food for millions of families -- until Syrians can feed themselves again.”
As well as providing immediate food assistance, WFP is working on finding long-term solutions to help communities in Syria become less reliant on direct food assistance.
Across Syria, WFP supports rehabilitating irrigation systems, mills, bakeries, and markets. Such projects carry a greater return on investment compared to traditional food distributions.
For example, each US$ 1 invested in the rehabilitation of bakeries or irrigation canals can reduce the annual cost of general food assistance by over US$ 3.
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WFP
Alternate Title
unifeed230314a
Asset ID
3019655