• No results found

Syria. WFP s Response Inside Syria and in Neighbouring Countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. Reporting Period: 19 April 3 May 2013

N/A
N/A
Protected

Academic year: 2021

Share "Syria. WFP s Response Inside Syria and in Neighbouring Countries: Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. Reporting Period: 19 April 3 May 2013"

Copied!
8
0
0

Loading.... (view fulltext now)

Full text

(1)

WFP’s Response Inside Syria

and in Neighbouring Countries:

Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey,

Iraq and Egypt

Reporting Period:

19 April – 3 May 2013

Syria

WFP planned to reach 2.5 million beneficiaries in April and plans to reach the same number of Syrians in May. In April, WFP dispatched enough food to feed over 87 percent of this target. WFP was unable to reach its April target as it was forced to suspend operations in Syria for over one week, from 16-24 April, as a result of proposed changes to facilitation letters needed for the safe passage of trucks. After discussions with the appropriate authorities, an agreement was reached such that the process to issue facilitation letters would be simplified. In order to ensure that all planned beneficiaries receive food assistance, WFP extended its April dispatches by two days into the month of May. WFP has sufficient capacity and is confident that it can scale up quickly to meet its target. Since dispatches resumed on 25 April, WFP dispatched enough food for over 30 percent of its target, over 750, 000 people, in only seven days.

Despite WFP’s efforts to continue dispatching food, needs are rapidly increasing. While WFP is putting into place plans to scale up its operations to meet these increased needs, it maintains its current target of 2.5 million Syrians across the country. Monitoring reports indicate that whilst needs are increasing overall. Places hosting IDPs are facing an increased strain as host communities are also affected by the ongoing crisis.

Assessments

On 30 April, WFP and FAO received approval from Syrian authorities to lead a Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission (CFSAM), expected to be conducted during the second half of May. The CFSAM comes in response to a Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform (MAAR) request, which seeks to evaluate the current state of agriculture in the country. Last year, the harvest in Syria was below average. In some areas, there was not enough rainfall, and in other areas, affected by the conflict, people could not plough the land and harvest their crops. In addition, livestock was sold due to the inability of herds to pasture, as well as people’s fears that they would lose these assets in the conflict. The bad harvest has affected the ability of Syria to feed itself, a country that at one stage was self-sufficient and, moreover, could export produce.

(2)

For 2012-2013 crop season the Government reported a reduction of 20 percent in the planted area of the country, while poor weather conditions continued affecting the most productive zones in the north. This year, the country would then again face food shortages. The assessment will provide a better understanding of where the needs are in terms of food security.

Security

In Damascus, bomb blasts (as IEDs, mortars or artillery) and small arms fire continue to be heard from different parts of the capital. The further intensification of violence throughout the country is impeding access to many pockets in need of humanitarian assistance.

Heavy fighting in the Al-Quasyr area of Homs on the Damascus-Homs highway, the main route to Tartous, carries with it the potential of adding to WFP’s logistical constraints, as it is the main entry port into the country. Hostilities in this part of the highway could significantly disrupt the movement of cargo from Tartous Port to WFP’s warehouse in Damascus, where enough food to feed one million people is stored. Sixty percent of all food stored in this warehouse arrives from Tartous Port through the Damascus-Homs highway. Food dispatched from the Damascus warehouse is then sent to affected families in Quneitera, Dara’a, As-Sweida, Rural Damascus, Deir-ez-Zor, Al-Hassakeh and Ar-Raqqa governorates.

Logistics Cluster

On 12 May, the Logistics Cluster, in support of the humanitarian community, is planning a convoy of ten trucks to Idleb. These trucks will carry relief items from WHO, UNFPA, IOM, UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR and WFP to populations affected by conflict. Based upon requests from partners, the Logistics Cluster is also planning to increase its warehouse capacity in Safita (Tartous) and in Yaffour (Damascus). The capacity increase in Safita will allow the Cluster to store a larger amount of cargo which is expected to arrive via Tartous Port. In Damascus, where the Cluster’s main warehouse, the JAD warehouse, is currently at full capacity, increased storage in Yaffour will help the Cluster to handle greater requests for storage from the wider humanitarian community.

Emergency Telecommunications Cluster (ETC)

The Emergency Telecommunications Cluster in Syria is providing vital communications support to humanitarian organizations on the ground, including programming and the installation of radio equipment that enable staff to communicate whilst attempting to reach hotspot areas, a critical safety requirement. The cluster is also providing support to the UNDSS Security Information Operations Centre (SIOC) in Lebanon, which is responsible for security coordination for the UN community in Lebanon. This includes, upgrading of the telecommunications network, and expand-ing the overall reach of the network in eastern and northern of Lebanon. This now allows the hu-manitarian community to communicate in insecure areas of Lebanon, areas which host large and growing communities of refugees. Per request from the partners across the region, the ETC is planning for an extensive radio training program that will ensure that humanitarian staff support-ing the Syria operation are well equipped to use all communications systems now available. WFP food reaching communities via horses and carts in Syria.

(3)

WFP Visits Terr Malleh

On 24 April, WFP visited Terr Malleh with an inter-agency convoy of eight trucks, organized by the WFP-led Logistics Cluster. Ter Malleh village, 8 km north of Homs, had a population of 8,000 people prior to the crisis. Today, the village houses some 30,000 IDPs from Rastan, Talbeseh and Homs. During the mission, 2,500 WFP family rations were delivered to the SARC warehouse in Ter Malleh along with non-food items including mattresses, bed sheets, kitchen kits and hygiene kits from UNHCR and UNICEF.

During the mission, WFP staff met with community leaders, including the local

Imam and the head of the local SARC branch, to gain greater insight into the severity of humanitarian needs. WFP staff also visited two shelters, a school housing eight families and a

health center housing 40 families. Both shelters were in poor condition, overcrowded, with families in significant need of assistance.

While visiting the health center shelter, WFP staff witnessed ongoing cooking for all 40 families. Lunch consisted of only one item; lentils boiled in water, which was cooked using wood as fuel. WFP food rations had not reached the center for three months, as SARC convoys were unable to receive approvals in order to reach this area of IDPs. The rations that arrived with WFP staff were divided in order to reach as many people in need as possible, with priority given to these shelters. Visits like the one to Terr Malleh illustrate that despite WFP’s attempts to reach an increasing number of beneficiaries, it is clear that food needs exceed the current response. Communities of conflict-affected populations, including IDPs, who require immediate humanitarian assistance, continue to be beyond our reach.

Jordan

WFP postponed the distribution of dry rations, food for new arrivals and daily snacks for children in Al Za’atri schools from 20-21 April because of tensions between refugees and the local Jordanian com-munity. WFP and its cooperating partner, Save the Children, resumed distributions soon after. On the 22 April, WFP dry ration distributions

were postponed again because of a connectivity issue between UNHCR’s database and the internet provider. However, WFP and Save the Children were able to make up lost time, extending the distribution cycle for two days and increasing distribution times into the late afternoon.

High rental costs, competition over jobs and rising food prices are exacerbating tensions between Jordanian communities and refugees, especially in the north of Jordan. Government Ministers have recently cited the imminent crushing weight of the refugee population on the Government of Jordan if international funding is not received soon, as the influx of nearly 500,000 refugees are heavily impacting government services and scarce natural resources. Rising tensions between the local population and refugees continue to be a concern for the humanitarian community.

Syrians in Jordan UNHCR Registered: 393,370 Awaiting Registration: 55,000

Total: 448,370

(4)

In assisting Syrian refugees inside Jordan, WFP, with partner Save the Children, completed the second April distribution of dry food rations and UNHCR complementary food packages in Al Za’atri camp on 27 April. WFP food distribution reached over 120,000 Syrians in the camp in need of food assistance, including new refugee arrivals for the two week period. In addition, school feeding in Al Za’atri camp is ongoing currently reaching more than 5,000 school children on a daily basis.

The April food voucher distributions in Jordan has reached over 150,000 Syrian refugees living outside the refugee camps, reaching 97 percent of the cleaned UNHCR manifest.

Monitoring

Recent monitoring in Al Za’atri camp has shown that refugees are requesting a change in some aspects of the food provided by WFP, including rice and lentils, as they are tired of receiving the same food items. WFP is constantly reviewing commodities distributed and changing them based on the preferences of Syrian families. WFP plans to transition to vouchers in Al Za’atri camp, which will allow refugees to purchase the food items of their choice, providing a more dignified and dietary diverse modality of assistance to beneficiaries. WFP is currently in the process of tendering large scale commercial shops for the planned voucher programme in Al Za’atri camp to compliment the smaller community based organizations (CBOs) already operating in the camp.

In Jordanian communities, where refugees are already receiving food assistance in the form of food vouchers, recent monitoring has revealed that WFP assistance is the only form of humanitarian assistance received by more than 50 percent of refugees. For these families, major concerns included shelter and non-food items, such as diapers and hygiene supplies. When asked about their food concerns, Syrian families living in Jordanian communities often noted that the voucher distributed by WFP was sufficient to cover their food needs. Overall, monitoring exercises revealed that women prefer food vouchers, compared to men who prefer cash assistance. Women interviewed by WFP staff, felt more in control with vouchers, as it ensured that food would be purchased for their families.

Lebanon

WFP continued its April food assistance in Lebanon primarily through food vouchers as well as through distributing food parcels. Nine agreements between WFP and NGO partners, who have local knowledge and capacity to distribute food vouchers and food parcels to Syrian refugees,

“My husband works at the port as a porter; his salary is barely enough to pay the rent. Without the food vouchers we would have to spend the money on food but we would be living on the

street.” Wafaa, 25 year-old mother with four children from Idleb now living in Tripoli

"We have many needs here, especially because we are not used to living in a camp, let alone in a tent. We left our three floor house in Dar’a with big gardens and fruit trees to stay in a tent in the middle of the desert. We need clothing. We need soap, medicine and jobs. Here, the only thing we receive regularly is food; every two weeks we receive a package of rice, lentils, bulgur… and every

day we get bread." Tayseen, a grandfather

from Dar’a, Al Za’atri camp.

(5)

have now been finalized. These new partnerships contribute in strengthening and increasing WFPs capacity to implement its pro-grammes and to provide food assistance to Syrian families fleeing

conflict.

WFP is currently

working to transition its food assistance to e-vouchers. E-vouchers will function like a deb-it card wdeb-ith which Syrian families will be able to purchase WFP allowed commodities. The paperless vouchers will simultaneously allow other agencies to reach beneficiaries with different forms of non-food assistance using the same card.

Challenges

According to UNHCR, there are almost half a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with the Government estimates citing twice as many Syrians. The increasing influx of refugees is stretching the capacity of WFP to assist those who are most in need and is straining the operation’s already overstretched budget. In addition, tensions between refugees and host communities continue to remain a real concern in Lebanon.

Turkey

Following the recent expansion of the Electronic Food Card programme to four new camps, WFP and the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) are now supporting almost 80,000 people through the e-voucher modality. The people receiving e-vouchers are happy to be able to prepare their own fresh cooked meals again, after months of set hot meals that were provided by the

Govern-ment. Despite the high standard quality of the hot meals, refugees were very satisfied that they can now cook their own meals. Some of them have been in this camp for over 6 months and for the first time they are able to choose what to eat. In several camp markets Syrian style bread, made by local Turkish bakers, is now available, demonstrating also the positive impact on the local economy that the programme can have. On May 15 the programme will expand into another three camps to reach a total of 110, 000 Syrian refugees, reaching around 60 per cent of the total population of Syrians living in camps in Turkey.

A hobby garden has been set up by the camp manager in the Adana camp, which provides beneficiaries with seeds to grow their own vegetables and fruits. The idea has been welcomed by WFP, and in collaboration with FAO it is now being discussed if this initiative could potentially be spread to other camps.

WFP/Rein Skullerud Syrians in Lebanon UNHCR Registered: 343,843 Awaiting Registration: 109,652 Total: 453,495 Syrians in Turkey UNHCR Registered: 290,224 Awaiting Registration: 32,385 Total: 322,609

“The garden is a nice way to occupy camp members and together with the e-food card families can choose what foods they eat and overall this contributes to a happy atmosphere at the camp” Mr. Ahmet Ongun, camp manager of the Adana camp

(6)

Iraq

UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees, Ms. Janet Lim visited Northern Iraq from 23 to 24 April. She toured Domiz camp and visited WFP voucher programme which provides food assistance to over 40,000 refugees living in the camp. She

appreciated WFP’s voucher programme and highlighted the positive feedback expressed by the refugees, while underlining the funding challenges and constraints in sustaining of the programme.

WFP provided over 47,000 Syrians in Iraq with food assistance in April through vouchers and food parcels. Despite its efforts to assist all Syrian refugees residing in Iraq, WFP is highly concerned about the funding of the voucher programme in Domiz camp from May and beyond.

School Feeding

School feeding for Syrian refugee children continues, reaching an average of approximately 2,200 children in Domiz and 1,300 in Al Qaim each school day. In Domiz, in addition to the 100 grams of fortified biscuits supplied by WFP, students receive 200 ml of milk and one piece of fruit (apple, orange or banana) from the Department of Education. The Department reported that it is planning to open a third school with a capacity of an additional 1000 students. In Al Qaim, where approximately 3,800 refugee children attend schools outside the camp, ad-hoc assistance through the national school feeding programme under the Ministry of Education is provided. This programme, which helps to improve the nutrition of children across Iraq and aims to encourage poor families to send their children to school, is supported by WFP.

Challenges

Several security incidents have recently been reported in Domiz camp including crime, unrest, hazards and others incidents involving refugees. Within the camps, WFP is becoming increasing concerned with restless crowds at the voucher distribution points and is working to better manage distributions. However, funding concerns continue to strain WFP’s operations in Iraq, specifically in Domiz camp, where WFP urgently needs approximately US$1.5 million to meet the needs of the refugees.

Outside of the camps, NGOs estimate that 50 percent of refugees living in outside of camps are becoming increasing vulnerable as a result of high costs of living, including high rents. Challenges faced by refugees residing in Iraqi communities are leading many to seek refuge and humanitarian assistance, including food assistance, inside refugee camps. Efforts to provide voucher assistance to these additional refugees are further straining WFP’s limited resources.

Syrians in Iraq UNHCR Registered: 140,873

(7)

Egypt

WFP is providing food voucher assistance to over 27,000 vulnerable Syrians seeking refuge in Egypt. In the month of April, 26,250 vouchers were distributed, reaching 96.4 percent of the targeted refugees. WFP’s food assistance targets only

those who live in the poorer neighbourhood parts of Cairo, namely Obour and 6th of October. So far, WFP has targeted all

registered refugees in Damietta in the Delta and in the port city of Alexandria, but WFP and UNHCR are currently identifying the most vulnerable refugees in Alexandria who live in disadvantaged parts of that city. WFP continues to implement the voucher programme directly without an official partner and is thus responsible for contracting with supermarkets, voucher distributions to beneficiaries and monitoring activities. The refugee communities have been active in the voucher distribution process and provide support to WFP in terms of disseminating information about distribution schedules and provision of facilities.

Assessments

During the reporting period, WFP shared the results of an in-depth assessment and investigation into complaints made by a small group of refugees regarding high food prices in one of WFP-partner shops with the refugee community. The findings showed that rising food prices are a general trend in Egypt and the shop in question has average prices compared to other shops. The refugee representatives were satisfied with the assessment results, but highlighted that they have not received any non-food item assistance from other agencies since they arrived in Egypt.

Funding & Shortfalls

With the heightened conflict, an increasing number of Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance. WFP requires US$19 million per week to meet the needs of vulnerable people inside Syria and Syrians seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Given the current funding situation, WFP will run out of food to distribute in Syria by the third week of July; WFP will be unable to provide assistance in the neighbouring countries by the end of June.

WFP welcomed the critical and generous contribution of the Government of the United Kingdom during the reporting period, a contribution which helped to ensure the continuation of WFP response across the region.

“Ever since we launched our emergency operation in Syria and the region last year, the UK has been both timely and effective in responding,” said WFP Emergency Coordinator for the Syria crisis Muhannad Hadi. “The UK has also given us the freedom to maximise our use of resources, according to our assessment of the situation. For example we provide food vouchers instead of direct food assistance in areas where markets are still functional. This means WFP is supporting both Syrian refugees and host communities, who are suffering increased pressure in these difficult times.” Syrians Egypt UNHCR Registered: 45,032 Awaiting Registration: 8,000 Total: 53,032 WFP/Marco Frattini

(8)

For further information contact:

Abeer Etefa, Sr. Regional Public Information Officer, WFP/Cairo, Mob. +20 0166634352 or E-Mail

abeer.etefa@wfp.org

Laure Chadraoui, Public Information Officer Syria and Neighbouring Countries, WFP/Beirut,

Mob. +961 3 489925 (Lebanon), +962 795917987 (Jordan) or E-Mail laure.chadraoui@wfp.org

Dina El-Kassaby, Reports Officer/Public Information Focal Point, WFP/Amman, Mob. +962 798674638 or E-Mail dina.elkassaby@wfp.org

References

Related documents

Despite efforts, school property taxes continue to rise School District Property Tax Levy, excluding NYC.

To shed light on differences in the sample of SBA loan applications we study in this paper from samples we have had to exclude for various reasons, Appendix Table

The profiling of the larger gears is not necessary to the functioning of the clock, and can be carried out at the discretion of the

Some mechanical presses do not develop enough force high enough in the downward stroke to permit severe drawing and forming applications such as inverted draw dies to be used

With  the  recent  need  for  engineering  certification  of  shade  structures,  particularly  in  schools 

The structures in the throat are sensitive to acid stomach contents so small amounts of reflux into this area can result in damage.. Most of the reflux events

There are four sections – Regenerator Section (RS), Multiplex Section (MS), Higher Order Path Section (HP), and Lower Order Path Section (LP) RS is a part (section) of the