Donor support key to ramp up WFP support as needs grow in Lebanon, Syria

On the eve of a major international conference to support Lebanon in Paris Thursday (24 October), humanitarian needs in the country are growing by the day.

Intensifying air and ground military operations have driven hundreds of thousands of families from their homes, stripping them of their belongings, savings and livelihoods, and forcing them to desperately seeking refuge wherever they can. Up to 1.3 million people inside Lebanon need humanitarian assistance, and almost half a million have already crossed the border into Syria.    

The World Food Programme (WFP) has been on the ground since day one of the crisis and is preparing to scale up to reach 1 million people. But with current resources only covering needs until the end of October, WFP urgently needs US$116 million to continue our efforts through the end of the year. We also need ports and other supply chain routes to remain open, to allow the flow of vital assistance.

WFP teams are working around the clock, distributing hot meals, ready-to-eat rations, food parcels, fresh bread, sandwiches and emergency cash assistance. Here's a recap of operations so far.

• WFP is providing daily hot meals, ready-to-eat rations, and food parcels to more than 200,000 people in shelters and informal encampments. We have already distributed 1.3 million hot and cold meals prepared in 18 kitchens. However, rising local market prices are expected to drive up the cost of hot meal production. 
• WFP has resumed our regular cash assistance through two government social safety nets, benefiting nearly 800,000 people. In addition, roughly 46,000 individuals in the seven most impacted districts of southern Lebanon have received cash assistance.
• Since 5 October, WFP and other UN agencies have moved three humanitarian assistance convoys from Beirut to Tyre, Rmeich and Marjaayoun, some of the hardest-hit areas in Lebanon’s south. WFP dispatched ready-to-eat food and bread packs from the convoys to those in most need.
• WFP has provided food assistance for nearly 150,000 people (Lebanese and Syrians) who crossed into Syria, and plans to reach a total of 400,000 people there over the next six months.
• As people reach their final destinations within Syria, WFP plans to provide them with either food rations or cash assistance for a maximum of six months, after which eligible families will transition to WFP’s long-term support.

Learn more about WFP's work in Lebanon and Syria