Thirteen years of darkness in Syria, a country fighting hunger

Um Alaa returned to her home village when hostilities momentarily subsided.

However, his return brought her little relief because he lives in very harsh conditions.

“We struggle to maintain the basics, especially bread,” laments this 50-year-old Syrian.

“My children dream of tasting fresh fruit, but those luxuries remain out of reach.

Sometimes we have to go to town just to get a single loaf of bread.

Without electricity or refrigerators, our meager provisions spoil in a matter of days, leaving us no choice but to rely on stale bread to stave off hunger,” she says.

Um Alaa explains, for example, that one day they brought 12 bales of bread from Damascus, but after two days it dried out and they had to put it in water to be able to eat it.

Um Alaa's story is just one of millions heard in Syria, where 13 years of relentless conflict have placed 90% of the population below the poverty line.

Syria is today the sixth most food insecure country in the world.

Never in the last decade has the population suffered as much hunger as it does today.

The urgency becomes omnipresent as funding declines and humanitarian needs increase.

Consider these shocking facts: 16.7 million Syrians now depend on humanitarian aid to survive, representing more than 70% of the population.

After 13 years of conflict, Syria's plight goes beyond mere destruction and the country faces a relentless onslaught of numerous consecutive blows.

For example, cholera outbreaks, exacerbated by the collapse of the health system and added to the Covid-19 crisis, have worsened an already serious situation.

Furthermore, severe droughts induced by the effects of climate change, economic collapse and even earthquakes have further devastated a nation that was already on its knees.

Behind these grim figures lie stark realities of human suffering: families torn apart, children stripped of their innocence, and communities torn apart by relentless violence.

Let's imagine that we had to live with less than two hours of electricity a day, a reality that a third of the population suffers from.

Imagine having no choice but to drink contaminated water whose foul odor is a constant reminder of its health risks, especially under scorching temperatures that reach up to 47º C.

In a world where there are more and more emergencies to attend to, we cannot forget Syria, a country that fades into the background, whose suffering is overlooked or outright ignored.

Their multiple and invisible crises join hands and demand our attention and action.

Action Against Hunger has been working in the country for more than 15 years and now, more than ever, we continue to respond: supporting farmers and families with training and activities that generate income, expanding mobile clinics and community health networks, equipping sanitation facilities and improving access to drinking water through infrastructure rehabilitation.

Our ongoing efforts aim to not only address immediate needs, but also strengthen communities, ensuring they can withstand and recover from unforeseen challenges.

It is imperative that we do not turn a blind eye to the plight of Syria and that we continue to work to save lives.

Let us not wait for another catastrophe to draw the necessary attention to the Syrian people.

Dariusz Zietek is director of Action Against Hunger in Syria

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