WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ — Today in Ankara, Turkey, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg announced that the United States is providing an additional $10 million in humanitarian assistance in response to urgent needs resulting from the brutal conflict in Syria. This new funding will supply enough flour to bakeries in Aleppo to provide daily bread for approximately 210,000 people in need for the next five months. With this new assistance, the United States is providing $220 million to date to help those suffering inside Syria and refugees in the neighboring countries.
This latest assistance is part of an additional, significant funding package that the United States plans to announce at the United Nations high-level donors conference in Kuwait on January 30.
With this additional $10 million, the United States is taking action in response to heightened flour shortages, an alarming lack of bread, and rising hunger. Many bakeries have had to close down because the Assad regime has cut off flour and fuel. The United States recognizes bread as a mainstay of Syrian daily life, and this new program is focused on getting 50 bakeries back up and running to provide life-saving food to the Syrian people.
The United States remains committed to supporting humanitarian assistance for all Syrians in need throughout the country’s 14 governorates, and to working with a wide range of international partners and Syrian humanitarian organizations, whose dedicated staff are taking great risks to ensure aid is directly reaching those in need. The U.S. government is coordinating closely with the Syrian Opposition Coalition in helping identify and locate those in need where access is constrained.
The announcement was made during the visit of a high-level U.S. delegation to the region to ensure sustained U.S. government support for those suffering as a result of the Assad regime’s brutality. The delegation also includes Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard.
The U.S. delegation commended the generosity of the Government of Turkey and the Turkish people, and recognized the Turkish Red Crescent for its tireless efforts to provide protection and assistance to Syrians affected by the crisis.
For more information about the U.S. response to crisis in Syria, please visit the USAID website: http://www.usaid.gov/crisis/syria .
