Damascus, March 10 (SANA) The World Food Programme (WFP) reported that 6.7 million people in Syria received assistance in January, noting a relative improvement in food security according to its 2025 Food Security Assessment.
The assessment found that 18% of Syrian households are now food secure, up from 11% in 2024. Despite the improvement, more than 80% of families still struggle to meet their basic, nutritious food needs due to the lingering effects of years of conflict and economic hardship.
In its January update, WFP said it distributed 36,700 metric tons of food and provided $9.2 million in cash assistance, reaching 6.7 million beneficiaries, including 48% men and 52% women.
The agency noted that internally displaced people, camp residents, returnees, people with disabilities, and female-headed households remain among the most vulnerable to food insecurity, particularly in Al-Hasakah, Raqqa, and As-Suwayda.
During January, WFP provided targeted food and cash assistance to 1.2 million people and distributed ready-to-eat food rations to thousands in Aleppo and northeast Syria. The second phase of its bread support project also began, helping more than 5.3 million people access subsidized bread daily through over 300 bakeries across six priority provinces.
Nutrition programs reached 17,000 children under two and 51,000 pregnant or breastfeeding women, while 134 metric tons of nutrition supplies were pre-positioned to support treatment programs. WFP also continues to redesign school meal programs with the Syrian Ministry of Education and provided food support to 7,000 children in camps.
In social protection efforts, the T-ANMU program delivered monthly multipurpose cash assistance of $100 per household to 8,500 individuals.
WFP is also supporting early recovery and resilience projects, including rehabilitation of a water pumping station, 11 bakeries, and three grain silos, as well as irrigation repairs in Latakia and environmental cleanup along the Orontes River in Hama. In cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture, the program also supported 10,500 farmers in As-Suwayda with wheat seeds and fertilizers.
According to WFP, its operations in Syria require $473.6 million in 2026, including $175 million between March and August. The agency warned that failure to secure at least $100 million by March could disrupt funding in April, forcing it to halt the bread support project, reduce emergency food assistance, and suspend nutrition programs supporting more than 100,000 women and children.
WFP Syria representative Marianne Ward said that while millions of Syrian families still face major challenges in meeting their food needs, the report demonstrates the impact of cooperation between the Syrian government, UN agencies, and humanitarian partners. She emphasized that continued international support remains essential as many households still cannot afford a basic diet regularly.
F.J.
