With private donations of $1.8 million and governments chipping in the rest, the WFP can now resume the food programme they halted on 1 December. Great news for those vast numbers of Syrian refugees. At the end is the next Press Release which indicates which countries coughed up.

Syrian refugees9 December 2014

WFP RESUMES FOOD ASSISTANCE TO SYRIAN REFUGEES AS FUNDRAISING DRIVE EXCEEDS GOAL

GENEVA/ROME – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today that it is reinstating food assistance to Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries thanks to a massive expression of support from the public, the private sector and donor countries.

By mid-December, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt will have their electronic food vouchers – also known as e-cards – uploaded with an average amount of US$30 per family member so that they can immediately use them to buy food from local shops.

After suspending food aid to nearly 1.7 million Syrian refugees on 1 December, WFP launched an ambitious social media fundraising campaign using the hashtag #ADollarALifeline that raised millions from individuals, the private sector and governments.

Among individuals contributing online through wfp.org, the third largest number by nationality were Syrians, after Americans (first) and Canadians (second).  The online campaign featured Aloe Blacc’s song “I Need A Dollar” as the soundtrack for the #ADollarALifeline video which launched on social media channels. Almost 14,000 individuals and private sector donors in 158 countries contributed US$1.8 million dollars.

As a result of the campaign, WFP has to date raised more than US$80 million – including contributions from governments – surpassing the goal to raise US$64million in December and permitting the full value of the e-cards to be distributed to refugees this month, with some funds carrying through to January.

“This outpouring of support in such a short time is unprecedented,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “We’re especially grateful to the many individual members of the public who reached into their own pockets to send whatever they could to help Syrian refugees who have lost everything. They showed that even as little as a dollar can make a difference.”

WFP’s donation page is still up and running on http://www.wfp.org/ForSyrianRefugees  and the public can continue to contribute to WFP’s life-saving assistance for displaced Syrians.
Contributions from donor governments will be announced soon.

Many UN agencies joined forces with WFP to promote the social media campaign. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, among other agencies, dedicated their social media channels to help raise funds and to bring awareness to the serious impact that suspension of food assistance would have on the lives of 1.7 million Syrian refugees.

Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, WFP has succeeded, despite fighting and problems of access, in meeting the food needs of millions of displaced people inside Syria and up to 1.7 million refugees in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.

GOVERNMENT PARTNERS HELP WFP RESUME FOOD ASSISTANCE TO SYRIAN REFUGEES

WPF 10 December 2014

ROME – Following an unprecedented social media campaign, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced today the tally of contributions by government donors towards the reinstatement of food assistance to nearly 1.7 million Syrian refugees.

Thanks to substantial support from government partners in donor countries, a total of US$88.4 million has been raised to date.  As this exceeds the goal of US$64 million required to fund the refugee programme in December, it allows WFP to cover some of the refugees’ food needs in January.

Over recent days, the following (in alphabetical order) have announced contributions: Belgium (US$138,000),  European Union (US$6.2 million), Germany (US$5.4 million), Ireland (US$1.1 million), Netherlands (US$7.5 million), Norway (US$10.2 million), Qatar (US$2 million), Saudi Arabia (US$52 million) and Switzerland (US$2.1 million).

The total also includes US$1.8 million from individuals and private sector donors.

“We are extremely grateful for this extraordinary support, which means that by next week, Syrian refugees in five neighbouring countries will be able to use their electronic vouchers again to buy food for their families from local shops,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin.

“I take this opportunity to thank all of our donors who during the year have provided the money to ensure that Syrian refugees have access to food.  As this increasingly ‘hand-to-mouth’ operation moves into winter, we are counting on our donors not to lose sight of the needs of these vulnerable people.  We are already focused on January, when the needs will be just as great.”

WFP’s donation page is still up and running on http://www.wfp.org/ForSyrianRefugees  and the public can continue to contribute to WFP’s life-saving assistance for displaced Syrians.

Since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, WFP has succeeded, despite fighting and problems of access, in meeting the food needs of millions of displaced people inside Syria and up to 1.7 million refugees in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.