Tag Archives: Iraq

April 18, 2016 · 6:27 pm

Food for Peace to the rescue in Iraq

Iraqis displaced by the war with ISIS are desperate for food. The United States Food for Peace program has come through again to help these war victims.

Food for Peace, run by the U.S. Agency for International Development, has just donated $ US 41 million to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Iraq. The WFP, the lead hunger relief agency, will distribute the Food for Peace donations.

Jane Pearce, the WFP country director in Iraq, says “I am delighted that the United States remains committed to working with WFP to deliver food assistance to Iraq’s most vulnerable populations. This generous and timely contribution from USAID’s FFP will help mitigate the suffering of many, as humanitarian needs outpace available resources.”

The donations will allow WFP to feed more than one million Iraqis for two and half months. Food vouchers and emergency rations will also be provided.

WFP relies on voluntary donations and Food for Peace is their largest source. Food for Peace, started by President Dwight Eisenhower, has fed billions since 1954. The program was started in order to send U.S. surplus food overseas to feed the hungry.

However, cuts to Food for Peace funding have been proposed in the latest presidential budget. This move is seen as a disaster by relief agencies and advocates as food aid is crucial with the record number of refugees around the world.

Read the full article at Examiner.

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December 2, 2015 · 3:56 am

WFP reaches Haditha and Al Baghdadi in Iraq

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) on Tuesday distributed food in two besieged Iraqi cities for the first time in months. Around 70,000 Iraqis in Haditha and Al Baghdadi of the central governorate of Anbar received WFP rations.

Read the full article at Examiner.

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October 31, 2015 · 5:22 pm

Displaced Iraqi child longs for sweets

Read the full article at Examiner.

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August 11, 2015 · 5:10 am

Starving Iraqi war victims have food rations cut

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said today that food rations have been reduced for Iraqi war victims. Facing low funding, WFP had no choice but to cut back on the food supplied to the displaced Iraqis.

Read the full article at Examiner.

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June 24, 2015 · 2:03 am

Wall Street Journal Letter on Iraq Crisis

Close to three million Iraqis have been displaced since last year. They depend on food aid from the international community.

See my letter in the Wall Street Journal.

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June 16, 2015 · 11:31 pm

Iraq Strategy Should Also Fight Hunger

President Obama has admitted the lack of a complete strategy for war-torn Iraq. This is true in more ways than one. Food aid for starving Iraqis is being tragically overlooked.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is being forced to reduce rations for some Iraqi war victims because of low funding. If WFP does not get more funding soon, food aid for 1.8 million displaced Iraqis may come to a halt.

Read the full article at The Huffington Post.

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April 18, 2015 · 6:35 pm

WFP, Norwegian charity come to the rescue in Iraq

The war in Iraq has left many civilians trapped and blocked from receiving humanitarian aid. Such was the case in al-Baghdadi, a town in the Anbar governorate of Iraq.

The town was under siege for months by the ISIL terrorists. The Iraqi army, in retaking the town, cleared the way last month for civilians to escape to Baghdad.

But now these Iraqi victims faced another crisis: hunger. Saker, one of those who fled from al-Baghdadi, said,

The militants shot at us and they shot our houses. We walked for four days to get to Baghdad. We left with only our souls. We are very poor, and don’t have money to buy food.”

In Baghdad, Saker and others would get help from the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Along with the Norwegian Refugee Council, WFP distributed immediate response rations for Saker and 18,000 Iraqis.

These rations are ready-to-eat food, packed with nutrients, to give newly displaced Iraqis some quick nutrition. This food does more too. The rations give some hope for those Iraqis who have suffered for months from hunger and fear while under attack by ISIL.

After immediate response rations are finished, WFP provides monthly food parcels to displaced Iraqis. This is when they are registered and settled enough to eat more prepared foods.

Saker told WFP the food csme at the most critical moment. That is the case for millions of Iraqis who are depending on WFP and their partners like the Norwegian Refugee Council for life-saving rations.

Yet these rations, which do so much good, might disappear. Low funding for the WFP mission could lead to 1.8 million Iraqis losing food assistance by May. A WFP report says there is a shortage of US $250 million for the Iraqi relief mission.

WFP depends on voluntary funding to do their life-saving work. With the conflict ongoing in Iraq, funds are needed from the international community to feed the hungry war victims.

Read the full article at Examiner.

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April 5, 2015 · 10:29 pm

Easter Day column in the Cleveland Plain Dealer

This Easter, spending on candy, gifts, clothing and food is expected to pass $16 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Even the Easter Bunny would say, “Wow!”

See my full column at the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

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March 23, 2015 · 9:20 pm

Hunger in Syria and Iraq

We must also remember the other enemy Iraqis and Syrians are facing: hunger.

See my full letter in the New York Times section Helping the Victims in Syria and Iraq. It is the second letter from the top.

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February 11, 2015 · 2:53 pm

WFP concerned about hunger in ISIL-held Mosul

raqis trapped in the city of Mosul, which was captured by the ISIL terrorists, are also at risk of grave hunger. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) says it’s concerned about the food security of thousands of Iraqis in ISIL-held areas.

Mosul is cut off from the outside world as it remains under occupation. Humanitarian aid cannot go through. WFP, the lead hunger relief organization, is feeding Iraqis who have fled the ISIL onslaught.

WFP has fed 1.4 million starving Iraqis since the conflict escalated last year. They are also standing by to bring food to newly liberated areas.

Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. airstrikes, are seizing ground near Mosul. They continue to make difficult progress towards retaking the city. This would allow humanitarian aid to enter.

WFP has been able to bring food into Anbar governorate for the first time since October. Partnering with the Iraqi Salvation Humanitarian Organisation (ISHO), around 31,800 displaced people have been provided family food parcels.

Fighting between Iraqi forces and ISIL is ongoing in many parts of the country, causing new displacement and hunger. As the war continues, WFP needs to maintain a steady pipeline of food aid.

Donations are needed now to prevent a break in supplies starting in March. A complete stoppage would happen in April if new donations fail to materialize.

WFP relies on voluntary donations from the international community. The amount of US $200 million is required for Iraq‘s emergency mission.

Read the full article at Examiner.

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