SYRIA / FOOD AIRLIFT

An airlift is underway to deliver over 400 metric tonnes of food to people in Qasmishli, Syria. The agency is appealing to all parties to the conflict to open up humanitarian corridors to allow food assistance to reach those who are in dire need. WFP

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:03
• Production Date: 6 February 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME - WFP
• Subject Topical: NUTRITION; HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
• Geographic Subject: SYRIA
• MAMS Id: U140206e

Description

STORY: SYRIA / FOOD AID AIRLIFT
TRT: 2.03
SOURCE: WFP
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 5, 6 FEBRUARY 2014, QAMISHLI, SYRIA

Shotlist

5 FEBRUARY 2014, QAMISHILI AIRPORT

1. Med shot, WFP plane landing from inside plane

6 FEBRUARY 2014, QAMISHILI AIRPORT

2. Various shot,s offloading cargo
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Adeyinka Badejo, Deputy Director, Wolrd Food Programme, Syria:
“We are in Qamishli airport, In Hasakah Governorate in Syria where WFP has just airlifted food rations from Erbil to assist displaced families in the governorates. This is the only option available to WFP at the moment because all road access has been cut off. Hasakah Governorate is one of many areas where WFP is unable to reach families in need.WFP is appealing to all parties to the conflict to open up humanitarian corridors to allow food assistance to reach those who are in dire need."

4. Various shots, offloading cargo

6 FEBRUARY 2014, QAMISHLI, SYRIA

5. Various, streets in Qamishli

5 FEBRUARY 2014, QAMISHLI, SYRIA

6. Wide shot, Hasna cooking (is a mother of seven girls and three boys)
7. Med shot, Hasana cooking
8. Close up, pot
9. Various shots, Med shto, Hasana feeding her children

Storyline

The World Food Programme (WFP) began airlifting food to nearly 30,000 displaced for a month in Qamishli, northeast Syria, amid growing problems in reaching people, especially in conflict and besieged areas.

The airlift, which began Tuesday out of Iraq, will deliver over 400 metric tonnes of food.

Insecurity and access to besieged communities in Syria are WFP’s greatest challenge.

SOUNDBITE (English) Adeyinka Badejo, Deputy Director, Wolrd Food Programme, Syria:
“We are in Qamishli airport, In Hasakah Governorate in Syria where WFP has just airlifted food rations from Erbil to assist displaced families in the governorates.This is the only option available to WFP at the moment because all road access has been cut off. Hasakah Governorate is one of many areas where WFP is unable to reach families in need. WFP is appealing to all parties to the conflict to open up humanitarian corridors to allow food assistance to reach those who are in dire need."

Qamishli is a city of around 200,000 and it’s also home to thousands of displaced Syrians from other parts of the country.

Humanitarian agencies have not been able to reach Al Hassakeh Governorate by road for over five months and security has deteriorated in the last few weeks, displacing large numbers of people.

Recently, around 7,500 people fled clashes that erupted in rural parts of Al-Hassakeh to Qamishli city while others fled towards the Iraqi border.

Abdel Aziz School in Qamishli was converted into a shelter over a year ago and is now home to more than 30 families who receive WFP food rations, when available.

As hunger in Syria grows, WFP is appealing for over US$2 billion to assist more than 7 million Syrians in urgent need of food assistance in 2014. These include 4.25 million people inside Syria and over 2.9 million refugees in neighbouring countries.