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SYRIA LEGACY REPORT2010-2014

Contents

SYRIA - THE CONTINUING DEVASTATION

FOOD IS STABILITY

FOOD IS HEALTH

FOOD IS PROTECTION

FOOD IS SECURITY

FOOD IS RECOVERY

REFERENCES

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THE PROMISE TO AMAL

Then came the 21st of August 2013, a date that will be forever carved in the memory of Amal, her children and siblings. The moment they lost everything.

The attack hits Al-Mleha, their hometown, and Amal’s father rushes them out of the house to safety in a nearby village. He then goes back to help the people under the rubbles, saving neighbours, relatives and whoever comes his way. He accidentally steps into a puddle of a chemical liquid that would lead to his death, nine months later. Her mother, unable to cope with the death of her husband, suffers from a stroke and passes away only 39 days later.

Another month later, her elder brother, worried about their small farm back home, goes back to quickly feed the animals, gets caught up in a bomb attack.

Amal and her two young siblings and three children, were now orphaned and alone. Amal is 28 years old.

A STORY OF LOSS,STRENGTH,TOUGH CHOICES,FAMILY,AND HOPE

After four years of war, millions of Syrians are still trapped in one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time. The conflict continues to corrode fundamentals of family life they had previously taken for granted: personal safety; food on the table; education; decent healthcare. Far too many have had to leave everything behind and flee in desperation to other parts of the country – some multiple times – or across its borders.

The numbers are staggering: more than 190,000 killed; one million injured; 11 million – half the population – forced to leave their homes, making Syria the world’s biggest displacement emergency. A middle-income country four years ago, three in four Syrians now live in poverty – one in two of them in extreme poverty1.

The country’s five neighbours – Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt – host over three million Syrian refugees – some 96 percent of all Syrian refugees2 – straining their generosity and resources. Because of the Syria crisis, Lebanon’s annual GDP growth is about three percentage points lower than it should be, according to the World Bank. Unemployment there has surged, particularly among the young, as Syrian refugees, now a quarter of Lebanon’s population, compete for scarce jobs3. Jordanians too have been crowded out of the workplace by Syrians willing to accept lower pay4. In all five refugee-hosting countries, accommodation and food costs have risen considerably.

The Syria crisis is the worst humanitarian crisis of our time.

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SYRIATHE CONTINUING DEVASTATION

Displacement within Syria and across borders

JORDAN

LEBANON IRAQ

TURKEY

EGYPT

SYRIA

1.6million

1.2million

0.1million

0.2million

0.6million

7.6 million

Regional Total: 3.8 million

March 2015

“They left this world and I know they are not coming back anytime soon.”

The war has made it impossible for most Syrian families to put enough food on the table. Local production has plummeted, so much less food is available in markets and shops. The prices of all staples are sharply higher, beyond the means of the cash-strapped and jobless who constitute the bulk of the population.

The fighting has forced farmers to abandon land, destroyed agricultural infrastructure and hugely inflated the prices of inputs such as seeds, fertilizer and equipment. Recent drought conditions have compounded the problem, cutting the 2014 cereal harvest by almost one-third year-on-year – that of 2013 having already been well below the average of the previous five years5.

More than half of the public bakeries that once provided subsidized bread – a staple – to most Syrians have been destroyed or damaged, contributing to an increase in bread prices as much as tenfold6.

For most, the support is a life-line. The longer the war drags on, the harder it is to cope. Without outside help, families must cut back heavily on their food intake, eating fewer and smaller meals. Some refugees are reported to have resorted to gathering wild plants to get by7. Other coping techniques include borrowing and begging. Child marriage is now common among refugees, a direct consequence of limited opportunity8.

2013

SYRIA20142012 2013

REGION20142012

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0million

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0million

WFP response inside Syria and in the region

FOOD IS

Why Syrians leave Syria

Fighting, insecurity and higher fuel prices have pushed up transportation costs, inflating the prices of other staples such as rice, lentils, vegetable oil, tea and sugar. Inflation and a sharply devalued Syrian pound mean that food is much less affordable than it was before the war.

Owing to their very limited job and income-earning opportunities, the 11 million Syrians displaced at home and in neighbouring countries have little or no money to buy food and other essentials.

OCHA estimates that 9.8 million people in Syria and 2.3 million Syrian refugees in the sub-region need assistance. Working with more than 50 cooperating partners, WFP reaches almost 6 million – 4 million in Syria and nearly 2 million in the neighbouring countries.

The dependency on assistance is seen - for example - in Jordanian camps and communites, where most refugees are wholly or largely dependent on the support they receive. Were it not for WFP support, nine out of ten refugees simply would not have enough food9.

According to refugees and IDPs – some of whom have had to move many times – the two primary drivers of displacement in the Syria context are safety/security and access to affordable food. In such situations, food is not only life-saving, but also a source of stability and hope. Where families are able to put food on the table, they are more likely to remain. Without it, they are

Among other factors, new arrivals cited the sharp increase in food prices, which rendered them unable to access sufficient food to feed their families, as one of the main reasons for travelling hundreds of kilometres to Jordan.

forced to continue moving in search of a way to sustain themselves. As such, food can help avoid continuous and excessive displacement – whether helping vulnerable Syrians to stay at home despite limited earnings and availability in local markets, or making IDPs in Syria or refugees in the sub-region feel supported in their temporary abodes.

MAY 2013 SEP 2013 OCT 2013 JAN 2014 FEB 20140%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

FOOD

OTHER

MEDICINE/TREATMENT

SAFETY/SECURITY

Interviews with Syrians arriving in Jordan’s Al Za’atri camp show that food andsafety/security are the primary reasons they leave their country.

Source: WFP baseline monitoring in Al Za’atri camp, Jordan, May 2013 – February 2014

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Stability

FOOD IS

HealthBy monitoring the impact of WFP programmes on our beneficiaries, we know the difference food assistance can make. As our evidence shows, a large majority of beneficiaries eat meals with a diverse selection of food that are rich in nutrients and vitamins – supporting refugees to remain healthy and for children to continue growing, even in the most extreme of circumstance.

WFP vouchers – through which 97 percent of Syrian refugees receiving WFP assistance access their monthly food entitlements – have proven particularly effective in helping to improve the quantity and quality of the food Syrian refugees consume. By allowing them to make their own choices, they can more easily meet their individual nutritional requirements – particularly important for children, the elderly and those with specific dietary and nutritional needs.

Significantly, vouchers also empower beneficiaries by allowing them to spend their entitlement in dignified manner, similar to the way they would have purchased their food before the conflict.

WFP vouchers – through which 97 percent of Syrian refugees receiving WFP assistance access their monthly food entitlements – have proven particularly effective in helping to improve the quantity and quality of the food Syrian refugees consume. By allowing them to make their own choices, they can more easily meet their individual nutritional requirements – particularly important for children, the elderly and those with specific dietary and nutritional needs. Significantly, vouchers also empower beneficiaries by allowing them to spend their entitlement in dignified manner, similar to the way they would have purchased their food before the conflict.

Soon after the tragic deaths of three of her family members, Amal's husband makes his way to Lebanon and then to Yemen. There he remains, while she and her children move from one village to the next before making their way into Jordan as refugees.

As she recollects her last months in Syria, Amal remembers and describes how it was like to live under siege. The day the road to Ghouta was blocked and the area cut-off from external assistance, bread became difficult to find along with a long list of items. Meals sometimes had to be reduced to one a day. Two of her sisters who are today still there and unable to flee, tell her they have been making soup out of a plant called the “Khebeze” to survive and that food is scarce. Life in Syria today is as difficult for the people who remain, she explains.

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“My dream was to get these children out alive and settle down some where, anywhere.”

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Impact of WFP food assistanceAccess to adequate and nutritious food

Impact of WFP food assistanceFood vouchers and the consumption of varied food groups

Comparing the average number of days per week refugees consumed each food group in Domiz camp, where vouchers are the primary modality, and other camps where refugees receive food baskets, shows a significant impact of the voucher programme. Source: WFP post-distribution monitoring, Iraq, 3rd quarter 2014

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Cerealsand tubers

MeatFish

Eggs

Dairyproducts

Vegetables

Fruits

Pulses

Domiz camp (Voucher assistance) Other camps (In-Kind assistance)

Average number of days of consumption by food groups, over previous week

Monitoring shows a general stabilization in the number of refugees with acceptable food consumption scores (based on dietary diversity, consumption frequency of food groups, and their relative nutritional importance) throughout 2014.

Source: WFP post distribution monitoring, 2014

Meeting the basic food needs of Syrian families does more than nourish them. It makes them safer and more resilient. It renders them less likely to use savings, sell assets or borrow money to buy food. In the refugee-hosting countries adjoining Syria, it eases the pressure to find elusive or illegal work. It reduces the stress in homes without enough food that can, for example, contribute to domestic violence. For families headed by women, it can prevent recourse to prostitution.

Under less pressure to seek supplementary earnings, families receiving assistance are more likely to keep their children in school.

Interviews with refugees in camps and communities in Jordan reveal that were food assistance to cease, more than 40 percent of families would take their children out of school11.

WFP programmes that offer children attending class nutritious snacks likewise support continued learning. One recent study found that food assistance programmes combined with educational support reduce the risk of refugee children being drawn out of school and into the illegal labour market, or forced into early marriage to relieve household economic burdens.12

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FOOD IS

ProtectionGiven the criticality of adequate nutrition during the “1,000 days” from conception for physical and intellectual development, WFP operations in Syria and its neighbours seek to ensure that the most vulnerable - pregnant and nursing women, and infants - are given the support they need in this regard.

This includes a voucher programme in Syria that complements monthly family food rations and enables mothers and mothers-to-be purchase a range of fresh foods – fruit, vegetables, dairy products, meat and fish – and initiatives across the sub-region providing nutritional support to babies and young children on a targeted or blanket basis. While still limited in scope, such programmes have been growing and will continue to expand, resources permitting.

[ANY INTERRUPTION OF WFP’S FOOD VOUCHER PROGRAMME IN LEBANON]

WOULD HAVE A DETRIMENTAL IMPACT ON CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND NORMAL

GROWTH, ESPECIALLY AMONG THOSE UNDER FIVE

Dr. Zeroual AzzedineChief Nutritionist, UNICEF Lebanon

“

1,000 Day Window of OpportunityThe right nutrition from the time of

pregnancy to the child’s second birthday can have a profound impact on a child’s

ability to grow, learn and rise out of poverty. It can also shape a society’s

long-term health, stability and prosperity.

Assessments show that the voucher programme in favour of pregnant and nursing women in Syria, presently being implemented in the cities of Homs and Lattakia, has had a positive nutritional impact on them and their families.10

Were food assistance to cease,more than 40 percent of families would take their children out of school.

Source: WFP monitoring interviews with Syrian refugees in Jordan, November 2014

Source: WFP post-distribution monitoring, July – September 2014

Dietary Diversity

Impact of WFP food assistanceNutritional status of pregnant and nursing women

Food Consumption ScoresNumber of meals each day

FOOD IS

SecurityThe countries of the sub-region have shown great generosity. Now hosting more than three millions Syrian refugees, the pressure on their already fragile economies, infrastructure, social cohesion, stability and security continue to grow.

While all countries are feeling the strain, nowhere is it more acute than in Lebanon. With the highest proportion of refugees in the world, the direct financial cost to the country is an estimated US$7.5 billion to date, with an additional US$2.5 billion needed to restore water and sanitation infrastructure to pre-crisis levels13.

The burden on schools and health facilities, competition for already scarce jobs and resulting strain on rents and inflation, all continue to grow. The financial cost to Turkey of accommodating Syrian refugees was estimated in late 2014 to have reached U$4.5 billion14. Studies of Jordanian host communities indicate that the main sources of tension include demand-induced higher living costs and increased competition for jobs that, in turn, push down wages15.

Food assistance supports not only those directly affected by the conflict, but also those who generously host vulnerable Syrians refugees – helping to take some of the burden off host countries - not least by strengthening local markets. The vouchers, dependent as they are on functioning local markets, inject significant sums into host communities – almost a billion dollars across the sub-region to date.

By stimulating local economies, they generate employment opportunities and trigger additional investment.

Where e-card programmes are being implemented, WFP has helped build the capacities of banks and shops, installing point-of-sale machines in the latter – which typically had not previously accepted credit or debit cards – and providing training to the former.

Without food security, we cannot have security in the camps – or outside the camps. Food security and security more broadly are tightly linked to each other. If

there isn’t food security, we will face problems with refugees. Maybe they’ll put more pressure on local authorities, even stage demonstrations. Food is the

priority and will remain the priority for all refugees and IDPs

– Mr. Edrees Nabi, Director, Domiz Refugee Camp, Iraq

Rumours involving the cutting of WFP assistance had been going around the camp since December 2014 when the programme was for the first time since the its establishment in the region, forced to consider suspending food assistance to thousands of families in need. Although the recent cuts in assistance have not yet affected the refugee camps in Jordan, refugees living in communities are already making the tough adjustment of dealing with reduced assistance.

“We now live in fear food will not come next month or the next,” says Amal. ”If we stop receiving this assistance, we would have to re-live the siege in Ghouta. This means one meal every day or two days.

Amal believes children should not have to work under any circumstance. Without sufficient food, however, she would have no choice but to sacrifice her 10-year old son by removing him from school and into labour.

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“I am exhausted but I have to resist. I decided to take this on, I cannot give up.”

Injecting support into local economies helps ease tensions between refugees competing for jobs and resources alongside vulnerable populations in host communities, contributing to a more secure environment.

Refugees are unable to work in most of the hosting countries, as such vulnerability increases, especially as assets become depleted and the time away from home is prolonged. It is inevitable that families take on extreme measures when struggling to feed their children, including resorting to crime. With reduced, or no assistance, such situations could become more and more serious negatively affecting the security of the area in which they live.

Easing the strain on neighbouring countries is more directly visible in Lebanon, for instance, where WFP provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Social Affairs to support the roll-out of the first e-voucher intervention for vulnerable Lebanese, based on WFP’s e-card programme. Similarly, in Jordan, WFP is working with the government to implement a cash-for-assets programme seeking to improve the food security of vulnerable Jordanians, while developing community infrastructure and services.

The impact of WFP voucher assistance on local economies

WFP's voucher programmes throughout the region have injected almost one billion dollars into the local economies since the start of operations.

Assessments in Jordan and Lebanon have found that the assistance in Jordan in 2014 equated to 0.7 percent of GDP, with more than 350 jobs created in the food retail sector since the launch of the programme. With a “multiplier effect” of 1.234, US$250 million worth of vouchers distributed in 2014 were equivalent to an investment of US$308 million.

A similar study in Lebanon found that the voucher programme has helped create more than 1,300 jobs, and had a multiplier effect of up to 1.5.17.16

Total injectedin the region:

US$975million

JordanUS$341

LebanonUS$427

TurkeyUS$113

IraqUS$48

EgyptUS$45

Source: WFP Regional Dashboard(Start of Operations - Jan 2015)

Food assistance supports not only those directly affected by the conflict, but also those who

generously host vulnerable Syrians refugees – helping to take some of the burden off host countries - not

least by strengthening local markets.

In areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS) those most vulnerable,

such as female-headed households, are offered cash transfers for every

family member far beyond what most humanitarian agencies,

including WFP, offer.

Developing and rolling out these programmes to scale are crucial to maintaining the balance in countries where a sudden spark of hostility could result in a rapid deterioration in the security not just of that country, but the region at large. This is particularly important when both refugees and host communities are faced with less desirable options.

In Lebanon’s Bekaa valley, radical elements have taken over the outskirts of Arsal area close to the Syrian border, where around 50,000 refugees are residing. Today, humanitarian organisations are unable to access Arsal, where the Islamic State (IS) have established Sharia Law. The security risks to both staff and beneficiaries is extremely high.

Refugees who have fled Syria in search of safety are faced with tough choices when such elements offer cash transfers to households in order to gain support for their cause.

In areas controlled by the Islamic State (IS) an alternative state is put in place. Primarily catering to the needs of the vulnerable investment in religious, educational, judicial, humanitarian, and infrastructural projects, such as water and electricity are made. Those groups most at risk, such as female-headed households17, are targeted with cash transfers for every family member far beyond what most humanitarian agencies,

including WFP, offer. IS use this mechanisms to mobilize support and recruit for its army18.

Maintaining humanitarian assistance in such circumstances is challenging. The e-voucher modality allows WFP to upload cards remotely, at the touch of a button, enabling refugees to access food for their families even in areas that are inaccessible. The provision of this support is a crucial alternative to those whose choices are limited.

The presence and activities of such groups place further burden on neighbouring countries, forcing them to continuously revisit and toughen border policies, further compounding the vulnerability of those trying to escape Syria’s war and putting those who have crossed the border at further risk of discrimination.

With dwindling resources, the support to host communities through the local economies will be reduced. More importantly, support to refugees is being reduced as funds are carefully channelled to the most vulnerable. This shift could result in a dangerous vacuum that could be exploited by groups such as IS to further their cause, potentially seeing an expansion in their influence and presence in the region.

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FOOD IS

RecoveryAs long as the conflict continues, the humanitarian community must do everything in its power to support those affected by keeping them healthy, protecting them from exposure to risks, supporting the communities that host them and – not least - by supporting their longer-term recovery and eventual return to normalcy.

Today humanitarian actors are increasingly complementing life-saving activities with interventions that focus on the longer term well-being of those affected.

School feeding programmes – which WFP is expanding throughout Syria and the region in 2015 – help make sure years in displacement do not mean ‘lost years’ in terms of education,

thereby increasing the likelihood of Syrian children being able to support themselves and contribute effectively to their societies in the longer term. Where conditions are right, food can also be used to help actively rebuild communities inside Syria that have been affected by the conflict - offering food as a payment for efforts that benefit the people and communities in the longer term.

In this regard, WFP will in 2015 initiate programmes that support moderately food insecure households – offering them food to undertake skills training or help rehabilitate basic services, such as health, water and sanitation infrastructure and services; restore agriculture infrastructure (irrigation canals and pumps, and storage structures); and implement small-scale livestock production.

The literal translation of Amal to English is hope. Although she did not choose that name for herself, her parents must have known at the time of her birth that she would turn into a woman of sacrifice. Amal hopes to make them proud someday. She hopes the five young souls she cares for will get anything they want in life. She hopes she will get to see her sisters still besieged in Syria again. She hopes her husband can somehow make his way back to his family.

We made a promise to Amal, Ali, Bousssayna, Mohammed, Wi’am and Riham long before we even met them.Help us make sure we keep it.

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“This is the first time in years that we feel safe and happy.”

Where conditions are right, food can be used to help actively rebuild communitiesinside Syria that have been affected by the conflict

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1 Syrian Center for Policy Research (2014): “Squandering Humanity: Socioeconomic Monitoring Reporting on Syria” UNRWA, UNDP.

2 UNHCR Syria Regional Refugee Response Inter-agency Information Sharing Portal (18 March 2015) http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

3 Atlantic Council: Syria’s War Threatens Lebanon’s Fragile Economy, July 2013.

4 International Monetary Fund Jordan Country Report No. 14/153

5 Syria Humanitarian Needs Overview, United Nations (14 December 2014)

6 Assessment on the needs and humanitarian situation within Syria: Thematic Situational Analysis, REACH, May 2014

7 Rapid Assessment of Syrian Refugee Needs, Priorities and Coping Strategies in Lebanon (December 2014) by Save the Children.

8 Save the Children, Too Young to Wed, 2014, P5 (based on: UNICEF, Child marriage in Jordan, 2014)

9 Comprehensive Food Security Monitoring Exercise (CFSME), WFP/REACH 2014

10 WFP Syria Monitoring Update, July-September 2014

11 Based on information from 1,000 phone interviews by WFP field monitors with randomly selected families from Mafraq, Irbid, Zarka, Amman, Balqa, Jerash and Madaba (November 2014).

12 Living on Hope, Hoping for Education. The failed response to the Syrian refugee crisis”. Kevin Watkins and Steven A. Zyck, ODI, September 2014.

13 No Escape – Civilians in Syria struggle to find safety across borders, IRC/NRC, (2014)

14 World Bulletin, Turkey Spends $4.5 billion on Syrian Refugees - 4 November 2014.

15 Livelihoods, employment and tensions in Jordanian Communities hosting Syrian refugees, REACH, June 2014

16 Economic Impact Study: Direct and Indirect Impact of WFP’s Value Based Voucher Programme in Lebanon (July 2014);

17 Reuters, Maryam Karouny (4 September 2014). In northeast Syria, Islamic State builds a government.

18 “Living on hope, hoping for education. The failed response the Syria refugee crisis”. Kevin Watkins and Steven A. Zyck, ODI, September 2014.

References

JORDAN

LEBANON IRAQ

TURKEY

EGYPT

SYRIA

Photos credit: WFP/ Joelle Eid

SECURITYHEALTHPROTECTIONSTABILITYRECOVERY

FOOD IS