Charity says 400,000 children in Syria risk ‘severe malnutrition' after US cuts
DAMASCUS: Save the Children said on Wednesday that more than 400,000 children in the Syrian Arab Republic were at risk of 'severe malnutrition' after the US suspended aid, forcing the charity to slash operations in the country.
Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children's Syria director, in a statement called on the international community to urgently fill the funding gap, warning that needs were 'higher than ever' after years of war and economic collapse.
'More than 416,000 children in Syria are now at significant risk of severe malnutrition following the sudden suspension of foreign aid,' Save the Children said in a statement, adding separately that the cuts were those of the US.
The global aid situation has grown dire since US President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development early this year.
His administration scrapped 83 percent of humanitarian programs funded by USAID.
The agency had an annual budget of $42.8 billion, representing 42 percent of total global humanitarian aid.
The suspension has 'forced the closure of one third of Save the Children's life-saving nutrition activities' across Syria, the charity said, halting 'vital care for over 40,500 children' aged under five.
Hoxha said the closure of the charity's nutrition centers 'comes at the worst possible time' with 'the needs in Syria are higher than ever.'
Its clinics that are still open are 'reporting a surge in malnutrition cases while struggling to keep up with the growing demand for care,' the charity added.
More than 13 years of conflict in Syria ravaged the country, with the health system shattered and infrastructure hobbled.
In February, a United Nations Development Programme report estimated that nine out of 10 Syrians now live in poverty and face food insecurity with 'malnutrition on the rise, particularly among children.'
Save the Children said more than 650,000 children under five in Syria were now 'chronically malnourished,' while more than 7.5 million children nationwide needed humanitarian assistance, which it said was the highest number since the crisis began.
Hoxha urged the international community to 'urgently step up' to fill the funding gap.
Syrian children 'are paying the price for decisions made thousands of miles away,' Hoxha added in the statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Germany Granted Citizenship to a Record Number of People in 2024, Led by Syrians
Germany granted citizenship to a record 291,955 people last year, a 46% increase from 2023, with Syrians making up the largest group, according to data released by the Federal Statistics Office on Tuesday. Reforms in the citizenship law contributed to the jump, the office said. Last June Germany reduced its residency requirement for naturalization from eight years to five and even three in special cases. Many Syrians who arrived as refugees during 2015 and 2016 when former Chancellor Angela Merkel opened Germany's borders to hundreds of thousands fleeing war and persecution in the Middle East became eligible for naturalization during 2024. As a result, they made up the largest group of new citizens, accounting for 28% of all naturalizations, or 83,150 people, a 10.1% increase. They were followed by Turks, Iraqis, Russians, and Afghans, who represented 8%, 5%, 4%, and 3% of the total, respectively. Russians saw the largest percentage increase in naturalizations, with the number rising to 12,980 in 2024 from 1,995 the previous year. The number of Turks taking German citizenship more than doubled to 22,525. The new citizenship law also allows individuals to retain their original citizenship while acquiring German nationality, enabling tens of thousands of Turkish citizens — many of whom, or whose ancestors, came to Germany as guest workers in the 1960s and 1970s — to become naturalized. However, Germany's new coalition government of the conservatives and Social Democrats plans to roll back some of these measures and reinstate a minimum waiting period of five years for citizenship. The conservatives have said citizenship should come at the end of a period of integration, not "jump-start" it, and fear shorter wait times to become a German citizen may drive increased migration and public resentment.
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Beirut, Damascus and the challenge of being a normal country
The Lebanese people often complain about advice from ambassadors and dictates from international financial organizations. They believe that the outside world is paving their road and setting their goals for them. They are annoyed that their country is being treated like a minor; that the world has no faith in its ability to get itself out of the abyss. The abundance of doctors and treatments often deepen the patient's confusion. There can be no arguing that the Lebanese people, like all other peoples, have the right to address their present and shape their future. However, reclaiming this right cannot be achieved simply by reminding people of the obvious. Hegemonies begin when countries start to break apart under the weight of divisions and interventions. The Lebanese divisions are old and so are the interventions. The most dangerous thing that can happen to a country is the loss of its ability to take a decision. A lack of this ability depletes what remains of the fortifications that should be available to a sovereign and independent nation. The problem is compounded when the country is surrounded by wars and conflicts that are beyond its ability to either join or distance itself from. And so, the country becomes captive both on the inside and before the outside world. Al-Sharaa surprised the Syrians, the region and the world. His choice was Syria first and foremost Ghassan Charbel The truth is that the Lebanese patient has suddenly found himself floundering in a cycle of wars that erupted after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Then it found itself confronted with the difficult endings of these wars, which were contrary to the goals of the ones who launched the flood and the 'support front.' The people of the region did not need new experiences to become acquainted with Israel's hostility and the savagery of its army. But what has happened has given the Israeli killing machine the opportunity to go to the extreme in its destruction and killing, even going so far as to commit genocide. Observers of Israel's behavior in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria and Lebanon sense that the balance of power has been broken and is now tipped heavily to the Israeli side. There is no need to remind the reader of the blood being shed at the aid distribution points in Gaza; no need to explain the meaning of the Israeli army warning residents of Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate specific buildings before striking. The daily assassinations carried out by Israeli drones in Lebanon hold clear messages and so does the continued destruction of the remaining capabilities of the former Syrian army. The people of the region do not need someone to explain to them the significance of the collapse of the former Syrian regime. The end of the Assad regime changed certain features and roles in the region. The collapse broke the chain of the so-called Axis of Resistance that started in Tehran and ended in Beirut, passing through Baghdad and Damascus. This is a massive change that confronted officials with very difficult choices. Ahmad Al-Sharaa entered the Syrian presidential palace and was confronted with dangerous new facts. A country broken and without an army and state institutions. A country drowning in fear and poverty, where millions live in refugee camps near the border. Al-Sharaa had to choose and take decisions. The era of factions means endless wars, the fragmentation of Syria and more blood and death. Al-Sharaa had to convince the Syrians and the world. There needed to be a moment for Syria to catch its breath, regroup and bring in aid. Al-Sharaa surprised the Syrians, the region and the world. His choice was Syria first and foremost. He has no desire to surrender to old formulas, unyielding beliefs and outdated treatments. He decided to understand the balance of power in the region and the world and deal with it. The obsession of saving Syria and reclaiming it from militias and hegemonies took precedence. Al-Sharaa sent a frank message that the new Syria wants to be a normal country. One where the state monopolizes control over decisions of war and peace and the possession of arms. This is not an easy task at all. The establishment of a normal state demands respecting local and international laws and ensuring equality between segments of society. It means abandoning the rhetoric of eliminating the other and changing features. The world is demanding that Lebanon return to being a normal country that can be trusted, helped and supported Ghassan Charbel The emergence of such determination encouraged countries eager to help Syria. Al-Sharaa said the new Syria does not want to pose a threat to any of its neighbors. This desire to quit the military aspect of the conflict with Israel paved the way for handshakes and recognitions. Despite the difficulties, there is a sense that Al-Sharaa's journey has kicked off with regional and international support. This has taken place at the same time as the Lebanese people have been dreaming that their country could also kick off the journey of returning toward being a normal state. This dream was reawakened with the election of Joseph Aoun as president and the appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister. The Lebanese people were hopeful as a result of the president's swearing-in speech and the government's policy statement. Months have since passed and the Lebanese ship has not yet sailed. The conditions that led to Al-Sharaa's arrival to power differ from those that led to Aoun and Salam's arrival. Lebanon's composition is very complicated and uniting the people is not easy. It is evident that Hezbollah's reading of what is taking place in the region is different from those of other Lebanese segments and of Aoun and Salam. The world is demanding that Lebanon return to being a normal country that can be trusted, helped and supported. Aoun and Salam cannot do this alone. The responsibility equally lies with Speaker Nabih Berri, given his standing in the Shiite community and throughout the country. A return to being a normal state cannot take place without Hezbollah reading how the war ended and what is taking place in Syria. Keeping Lebanon hanging in the Iranian and non-Iranian balances will leave it at risk of wasting its international support. The world set a condition for the new Syria to agree to become a normal country, and it did. Lebanon's lack of serious collective decision-making to move toward such a goal will leave it vulnerable to many surprises. This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.
Arab News
5 days ago
- Arab News
US mulls giving millions to controversial Gaza aid foundation, sources say
WASHINGTON: The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos. The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department. The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said. The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza's 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume. The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs. The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites. On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an 'economic interest' in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF's aid distribution hubs in the enclave. While US President Donald Trump's administration and Israel say they don't finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it. The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established UN aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that. USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump's drive to align US foreign policy with his 'America First' agenda. One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency's dismemberment. The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF's operations for 180 days. The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF's contractor, and violence nearby. Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said. Gaza hospital officials have said more than 80 people had been shot dead and hundreds wounded near GHF's distribution points between June 1-3. Since launching its operation, the GHF has opened three hubs, but over the past two days, only two of them have been functioning. Witnesses blamed Israeli soldiers for the killings. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots on two days, while on Tuesday it said soldiers had fired at Palestinian 'suspects' advancing toward their positions.
