The town of Tal Abyad in Syria has just received a delivery of humanitarian aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The town had been cut off from food assistance for eight months because of the ISIS terrorist group, which had taken control.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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There is a silent crisis unfolding every day in Jordan and throughout the Middle East. It is another devastating effect of Syria’s civil war.
Syrian refugees are falling deeper into hunger. Children are suffering the most, being forced to work and beg to provide for their family.
Read the full article at The Jordan Times.
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Cuts in food aid are leading Syrian refugees to take desperate measures.
This is a terrible situation for Syrian children to be forced to beg and work just to get a meal. But we can do something about it.
Please see my letter in today’s New York Times.
Also for historical perspective on fighting child hunger please see the video Ending Child Hunger: School Lunches for Kids Around the World.
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For Syria to survive as a nation, they must have food. The farmers must be able to grow and harvest their crops in peace.
But the four-year civil war has destroyed food production, the very heart of any nation. The fighting has left innocent civilians to starve.
That is why the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for a ceasefire throughout Syria. It’s time to put down the guns and defeat the enemy of hunger.
Read the full article at The Hill.
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Summer is when we get to enjoy fresh and yummy fruits and vegetables. Just by taking a walk down the street you may see a farmer with their food stand all set up and ready for business.
It’s corn, peaches, tomatoes, potatoes and so many other good foods. It’s something we take for granted during these warm months.
Read the full article at The Huffington Post.
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Nahed, a Syrian mother, once had a good life. She was a school teacher in Rural Damascus. It was a middle-class living that could provide for her family. But all that changed when the civil war came to her country.
The fighting between the government and rebel groups forced Nahed and her family to flee their home.
Read the full article at The Huffington Post.
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Imagine if you were forced from your home because of an armed conflict. What if you lost everything you own as a result?
You flee to another land for safety. There you find refuge and the helping hand of charity. You get the basics of food, water and shelter.
Read my full commentary at The Huffington Post.
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The Bekaa Valley in Lebanon lies near the border with Syria. It was once a part of the Roman Empire. Today, this valley is one of the escape routes for Syrians fleeing the brutal civil war in their country.
Over one million Syrians have fled into Lebanon, many residing now in the Bekaa Valley. Life is hard for these refugees, who have lost everything.
They are hungry, cold and living through some terrible winters. Even though they have escaped the Syrian battlefield, the shock of war is still with them. They need the helping hand of charity.
Syrians at the Deir al Ahmar informal tented settlements are finding this comfort with the Good Shepherd Sisters and Catholic Relief Services (CRS). The Good Shepherd Sisters run a center for children which provides education and trauma counseling four days a week. Working with CRS, they also provide shelter materials, blankets, heaters and other critical supplies to people living in the camp.
CRS and the Good Shepherd Sisters are feeding 350 children a hot meal each day the center holds classes. This extra meal for children makes a world of difference in keeping malnutrition away.
They are also providing 360 families with food packages. The goal is to expand this food program to reach over 3000 individuals. The food is obtained from nearby suppliers, thus helping the local economy.
CRS and the Good Shepherd Sisters plan to adapt the food package program to a voucher-based plan. This will allow families to purchase their own food at local markets.
Food vouchers give families flexibility into what foods they can obtain. It’s another step toward normalcy, which has been tragically lost for these families in the midst of the war.
Private donations are funding CRS and the Good Shepherd Sisters in their humanitarian work in Lebanon. You can help them by contacting CRS headquarters.
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The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is demanding that armed groups in Syria allow humanitarian access to civilians.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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The director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), Ertharin Cousin, is attending a donor conference in Kuwait with one objective: to save the starving people of Syria. WFP is leading hunger relief in the war-torn country, but depends on voluntary donations.
Read the full article at Examiner.
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Author William Lambers 