European Union maintains vital support for World Food Programme (WFP)'s lifesaving assistance in Algeria
In the remote desert camps near Tindouf, where Sahrawi refugees have lived since 1975, WFP's assistance remains a lifeline. More than 80 percent of the population relies entirely on humanitarian aid to meet their basic food needs. Through its partnership with the Algerian Red Crescent, WFP distributes monthly food rations tailored to nutritional needs, while increasingly prioritising programmes, including Social Behaviour Change (SBC) initiatives, addressing malnutrition among children and pregnant women and promoting better nutrition practices.
"We are deeply grateful to the European Union for their unwavering support and commitment to the Sahrawi refugees," said Aline Rumonge, WFP Representative and Country Director in Algeria. "This strong and reliable partnership provides the sustained funding we need to deliver life-saving assistance while improving the effectiveness of our operations in the camps.'
In 2024, WFP provided nearly 19,000 metric tons of food and reached 8,600 pregnant and breastfeeding women with monthly cash-based transfers to improve dietary diversity and reduce the risk of anaemia. In addition, WFP distributed specialised nutritious food to prevent and treat moderate acute malnutrition among children under five.
The EU has been a cornerstone donor for WFP's operations in Algeria, contributing €102 million (US$123.4 million) since 2003. With needs persisting and global attention waning, this enduring partnership underscores a shared commitment to ensure Sahrawi refugees are not forgotten.
WFP has supported the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria since 1986. WFP's operations in the country are carried out and monitored in collaboration with national and international organizations to ensure food assistance reaches the people for whom it is intended.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).
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European Union maintains vital support for World Food Programme (WFP)'s lifesaving assistance in Algeria
The European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its commitment to Sahrawi refugees in Algeria through sustained funding for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), enabling the delivery of vital food assistance to over 133,000 vulnerable people each month. This month marks the second year of the multi-year partnership that provides €5 million annually to address one of the world's most protracted refugee crises. In the remote desert camps near Tindouf, where Sahrawi refugees have lived since 1975, WFP's assistance remains a lifeline. More than 80 percent of the population relies entirely on humanitarian aid to meet their basic food needs. Through its partnership with the Algerian Red Crescent, WFP distributes monthly food rations tailored to nutritional needs, while increasingly prioritising programmes, including Social Behaviour Change (SBC) initiatives, addressing malnutrition among children and pregnant women and promoting better nutrition practices. "We are deeply grateful to the European Union for their unwavering support and commitment to the Sahrawi refugees," said Aline Rumonge, WFP Representative and Country Director in Algeria. "This strong and reliable partnership provides the sustained funding we need to deliver life-saving assistance while improving the effectiveness of our operations in the camps.' In 2024, WFP provided nearly 19,000 metric tons of food and reached 8,600 pregnant and breastfeeding women with monthly cash-based transfers to improve dietary diversity and reduce the risk of anaemia. In addition, WFP distributed specialised nutritious food to prevent and treat moderate acute malnutrition among children under five. The EU has been a cornerstone donor for WFP's operations in Algeria, contributing €102 million (US$123.4 million) since 2003. With needs persisting and global attention waning, this enduring partnership underscores a shared commitment to ensure Sahrawi refugees are not forgotten. WFP has supported the Sahrawi refugees in Algeria since 1986. WFP's operations in the country are carried out and monitored in collaboration with national and international organizations to ensure food assistance reaches the people for whom it is intended. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).
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25-07-2025
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GoFundMe-backed Gaza Soup Kitchen struggles to feed starving Palestinians as supplies run out
On a warm Saturday morning in Gaza city, Saleh Sadda, 10, joins hundreds of others holding pans and waiting for food at a soup kitchen. It is the only reliable source of nourishment for his family of five, displaced from the north of the enclave and now living near Gaza's port, once a centre for trade, now a place of survival. 'Every day I get food from the soup kitchen for my family,' Saleh told The National. 'We come here because we have no money. Prices are high, people have no food.' The Gaza Soup Kitchen has been a lifeline for many since it launched in February last year, offering hot meals to thousands of people every day. But it is now struggling, as food runs out in the enclave. Until recently, the operation served meals at 10 locations, including in Sheikh Radwan, Shati camp, Al Nasr, Rimal and its northernmost spot, Al Saftawi. This week, only five locations could open. Some are operating at just 70 per cent capacity because ingredients are increasingly scarce. 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The campaign has raised over $4 million so far, funds used to buy ingredients such as cooking oil and support staff in Gaza. Their family, based in the north of Gaza, paid a heavy price in the war. Two of Hani's brothers have been killed. Four of his nieces are dead. Two more were critically injured. He said everyone he knows is displaced, and many are starving. Born in the UAE, Hani, 44, is senior director of philanthropy at UNRWA USA, which provides support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. His family moved to Gaza when he was still in school to reconnect with their roots. Later, he earned a master's degree in public administration and a bachelor's degree in international and Latin American studies from Brigham Young University, before settling in Washington, DC. There, he began fundraising for civil rights groups, Arab and Muslim-American organisations, and Palestinian relief efforts. Now living in Annandale, Virginia, Hani brings his fundraising experience to the Gaza Soup Kitchen. 'My brother, Mahmoud, and his friends started it in Beit Lahia to serve hot meals to neighbours,' he said. They began with four pots and a fire fuelled by scavenged wood. They dug up potatoes, bought tomato paste and cooking oil, and within hours, 120 families were fed. The next day, they served 150. Word spread quickly and demand surged. Mahmoud went out again, this time returning with leafy greens, onions and mushrooms, and cooked another nourishing dish. Hani launched the GoFundMe campaign and by July 2024, the Gaza Soup Kitchen was officially registered as a non-profit group in the US. Transferring funds into Gaza remains a major challenge. Hani sends $15,000 every morning, navigating a complex and costly process. 'The funds go into our Gaza Soup Kitchen's US bank account,' he explained. 'From there, we use a mix of digital platforms and cash apps to move the money. But there are daily limits, so we have to use several methods.' Once the money reaches exchange shops in Gaza, it is handed to Hani's family, after a hefty cut is taken. The fees range from 25 per cent to 40 per cent, meaning a $1,000 transfer might result in only $600 in cash being received. With no new bank accounts allowed in Gaza, the soup kitchen cannot open a local account, Hani added. As Israel's war continues, Gaza's food supply is disappearing. Sugar now costs $100 per kilogram. A single kilogram of flour costs about $20. Aid is trickling in. Exchange fees, inflated prices and disrupted supply chains are making it harder to stretch every dollar. 'Unfortunately, that's the price you pay to keep people from starving,' Hani said. 'It's worth it because in some communities, children are collapsing from hunger. The elderly too.' Despite the millions raised, not all the funds have been transferred yet. So far, more than $2 million in cash has made its way into Gaza to keep the kitchens running. 'The bottleneck is how much we can send in a day,' Hani explained. 'If I could wire $1 million tomorrow, I would. But because of the limitations in the bank, we are only able to send a certain amount.' He sends only what is needed to keep operations going, carefully balancing against fees and local prices. Some of the funds are also used to distribute drinking water and offer medical support. In one case, Hani recalled, a person collapsed while waiting for food. 'We have a medical point next to one of our kitchens," he added. "Our doctors hooked them up to an IV because it was too late for a meal. They needed medical intervention.' Cooking through scarcity Sourcing ingredients is another daily struggle, as Israel has severely limited how much food is allowed into the enclave. 'We do not bring anything from outside. This is not our model,' Hani said. 'What we do is two things: we buy from the few farmers still growing produce – about 5 per cent of farms are functional – and we source locally from what's left in the market.' The team, which is based in the north, gathers ingredients from the south of Gaza. They send people to carry bags filled with produce to the north. 'Secondly, there is no supermarket any more,' Hani explained. "There are stalls in the market. We ask around: 'Hey, I need 100kg of lentils. Do you have it?' The guy says, 'Yes, we have a dealer for lentils. We have a dealer for cooking oil.' Whatever we can get, we buy and cook.' In winter, they cook with foraged greens such as mallow. Right now, the team is struggling to find basic staples including potatoes and carrots. More than 100 aid agencies and rights groups, including Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, and Oxfam, have warned that mass starvation is spreading across Gaza. On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said a 'large proportion' of Gaza's population was starving. 'I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation – and it's man-made,' he said. Israel, however, denies blocking aid. 'In Gaza today, there is no famine caused by Israel,' said government spokesman David Mencer. 'There is a man-made shortage engineered by Hamas.' For Hani, the goal is simple, and heartbreaking. 'I just want the genocide to end,' he said. 'I'm fine with closing shop. We only exist to solve a problem. If the problem is being handled by others, we'll step back. But right now, this work gives our team purpose. They're exhausted, but every day they cook and feel inspired. And everybody just wants that purpose.'
