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Foreign Aid to Syria (Syrian Arab Republic)

Foreign Aid to Syria
Syria, a country once a destination known for its breathtaking scenery and rich culture, remains devastated by a decade-plus long civil war. The Syrian civil war, which began as a peaceful uprising in 2011, has led to about half a million deaths as of 2022. The conflict occurs between the Syrian government, rebel groups, the Islamic State (IS) and foreign countries —  some that side with the government and others that side with the rebel groups. Unfortunately, more than 11 years of intense fighting have taken its toll on the approximately 17.5 million people who live in Syria today. Many international organizations have committed to giving foreign aid to Syria as the vast majority of Syrians require foreign aid for their survival. Crucially, violence and destruction within the country affect the impoverished most severely.

The Need for Aid

According to a March 2022 report provided by the United Nations (U.N.) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), today, about 90% of Syrians live in poverty and more than 80% endure food insecurity. Access to food security, sanitation and health care has become a major issue as a consequence of the civil war. Foreign aid to Syria seeks to combat many of these issues.

According to USAID, roughly 75% of Syrians today are specifically in need of humanitarian foreign aid. Aid can come in the form of food, health care supplies or other basic commodities. The U.N. suggests that cross-border aid, which includes helping people cross the border and transporting aid directly into the country, must remain active. In late May of 2022, the U.N. Syria Commission called on the Security Council to ensure that the border remains open so that organizations can provide the necessary aid.

Currently, there is only one authorized border crossing into Syria, known as Bab al-Hawa, between Northwest Syria and Turkey. Foreign aid requires this crossing to be open so that goods and services can reach the country. Moreover, the U.N. estimates that nearly 15 million people across the country rely on foreign aid. In certain parts of the country, the number of people receiving aid can be even higher, particularly in more conflict-riddled regions.

Of the many forms in which aid can come, food and health care are the most typical and most vital. Food prices are rising while food availability diminishes. Foreign aid can be partially helpful in bringing food supplies to people who either do not have adequate access to food or cannot afford it.

Suppliers of Aid

The largest suppliers of foreign aid to Syria are the European Commission, part of the European Union (EU), which has supplied more than $140 million so far in 2022, and the United States, which gave nearly $15 billion from 2012 to 2022. In addition, the United Nations plays a large role in the delivery of aid to Syria. The U.N.’s food-assistance branch, the World Food Programme (WFP), estimates that 5.6 million Syrians receive aid from the WFP monthly. The process of bringing foreign aid to Syria is a worldwide effort, yet challenges remain severe.

Challenges

The EU’s European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations stated that civilian attacks and attacks on hospitals thwart international aid efforts. Limited access to the country combined with precarious and violent conditions once inside present challenges in transporting aid. The widespread and persistent issues that the Syrian people face, including recurring displacement, make foreign aid even more difficult to circulate. Another challenge is that violence and disturbances in other parts of the world, such as in Ukraine at the moment, place Syria in a somewhat less visible role on the international stage. In particular, a shortage of products, such as oil and wheat from Ukraine, has caused disruptions in Syrian aid programs.

Moving Forward

The current exception, which allows aid to cross the Bab al-Hawa border in Northwest Syria, the last open border into Syria, is set to expire on July 10, 2022. That border opening is a result of a rare policy exception that the U.N. Security Council issued in 2014, which contradicted the Syrian government’s wish to not have foreign interference in Syria. The Security Council resolution required the border at Bab al-Hawa to remain open, which has brought necessary aid to Syria for the past eight years.

Many international organizations, including the U.N. and the EU, believe that this channel is necessary for aid to make its way into Syria. The U.N. Security Council needs to vote to extend the exception before the July deadline to ensure that aid can reach the Syrians in need. Those tracking foreign aid to Syria are hopeful that, if the resolution is extended, the border will continue operating at the status quo and aid will continue to cross the northwest border.

– Lara Drinan
Photo: Flickr

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Why Humanitarian Aid is Critical in Lebanon Today

Why Humanitarian Aid is Critical in LebanonHumanitarian aid is of vital importance to a country such as Lebanon. As of August 2020, the U.N. reported that more than half of the population in the country lives in poverty. It is estimated that somewhere above 55% of the population is impoverished. This is due in part to the economic and political crisis that has been plaguing the country long before the current global COVID-19 pandemic or the explosion in Beirut earlier this year. However, because humanitarian aid is critical in Lebanon, numerous donors throughout the world are pledging to offer assistance to Lebanon so that the nation can survive its current hardships.

Why is Humanitarian Aid for Lebanon Important Today?

The main reason humanitarian aid is critical in Lebanon today is because of the large number of Syrian refugees that have flooded the country. These Syrian refugees have fled Syria due to the ongoing civil war. Lebanon hosts the largest amount of Syrian refugees in the world, with a total of 1.5 million Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon. It is this high increase in population within Lebanon that is causing a strain on vital services for refugees. Because of this, Lebanese authorities are restricting more refugees from coming into the country. Lebanese authorities have also refused to build camps for the refugees. These factors have all led to worsened conditions for the refugees.

Doctors of the World: Aiding Refugees in Lebanon

One humanitarian organization offering aid in Lebanon is the French Médecins du Monde or Doctors of the World. The organization is providing substantial help to the refugees within the country. The group mainly operates in five health care centers that are located in the Lebanon Mount region and the Baqqa Valley of Lebanon. These two areas have a high concentration of refugees. Just in 2019 alone, Médecins du Monde was able to provide 98,390 health consultations, 3,577 sexual and reproductive health care sessions and 30 training sessions to health care workers. Médecins du Monde is also able to provide medication to the most vulnerable of refugees and mental health support.

The Beirut Explosion

The Beirut explosion only exacerbates the need for humanitarian aid in Lebanon. Fortunately, the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations rose to the challenge, able to provide humanitarian aid in the form of 50 tons of medical supplies and food items. The European Council was able to obtain pledges of up to €252.7 million for humanitarian aid to Lebanon. Of all the contributors, the EU was the largest contributor, offering €63 million. Since 2011, the EU has in total offered €660 million to the refugees in Lebanon.

Additionally, 60% of the EU humanitarian aid provided for refugees in Lebanon is multi-purpose cash assistance. The other 40% of EU assistance addresses other emergencies and needs. Cash assistance allows refugees to avoid the vulnerability that comes with a worsening socio-economic crisis in the country. In just 2019 alone, this type of assistance was able to provide aid to more than 338,000 people within the country. Much of this type of aid went toward purchasing essential items and services.

Lebanon faces several challenges, one of them being its large population of refugees. However, many humanitarian organizations are offering assistance to the country and its refugees. Today, humanitarian aid is critical in Lebanon. As members of the international community, individuals must do their part to help Lebanon and Syrian refugees in their time of need.

–Jacob E. Lee
Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Cameroon

10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Cameroon
Cameroon shares common challenges with neighboring Central African countries. Conflict refugees are flooding the system, putting a strain on humanitarian aid. People have limited access to health care providers, and especially in rural areas. The reduction of disease and bacterial infection is progressing, but death rates are still high. Read on to learn more about these 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon.

10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Cameroon

  1. Conflict and corruption are important factors to consider when exploring these 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon. The war against Boko Haram has compromised security. The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations financial scandal revealed shady dealings and the skimming of public funds. Bribery and nepotism are creating problems for reaching economic goals with inconsistently paid worker’s salaries, often without earned overtime pay. The government of Cameroon, in cooperation with its national and international partners, is working hard to keep its people in the foreground of global concern. Active work toward reducing corruption and conflict is vital to the improvement of life expectancy in Cameroon.
  2. Conflict in the bordering countries of Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR) has added some 361,700 refugees to the already struggling population of 27,744,989 citizens. Fundamental to the improvement of life expectancy in Cameroon is to continue developing strategies for managing the fallout from conflict in neighboring countries. Ongoing conflicts have closed down trade routes, markets and schools. Responding to the protection and shelter of refugees has diverted aid and is contributing to the already low life expectancy of Cameroonians.
  3. Limited access to health care is a challenge for Cameroonians. With the goal of improving life expectancy by identifying needs and gaps in the health care system, Cameroon set a national strategic development plan in motion. The most recent data available showed an unequal distribution of health care providers in 2010. There were 1.1 doctors and 7.8 nurses and midwives per 10,000 population, with rural areas having the greatest need. Between 2006 and 2008, the implementation of an emergency plan to train and recruit more health care workers helped to offset a large number of health care workers aging out of the workforce.
  4. HIV/AIDS has dealt the greatest blow to life expectancy in Cameroon. With life expectancy at birth averaging 59.8 years of age, 540,000 people are living with HIV. In 2018, there were 23,000 new HIV infections, a decrease from 36,000 in 2010. Since then, the death rate has dropped 19 percent to 18,000. Outreach and education about HIV have paid off by improving access to testing and treatment. In 2018, 59 percent of HIV positive women and 47 percent of HIV positive men received treatment.
  5. Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS often occur as co-infections. Though tuberculosis treatment coverage is 53 percent, HIV predisposes for tuberculosis co-infection, increasing the risk 20-fold of its progression from latent to an active infection. A systematic data collection and review of medical records for a 93-month period between 2010 and 2017 revealed that the co-infection rate in the Fako division was alarmingly high at 194 cases per 100,000 population. The good news is that the study revealed a high treatment success rate with 76.4 percent of the patients cured.
  6. There is good news and bad news for the treatment and prevention of malaria. Clearly, communicable diseases are the leading cause of premature death in Cameroon, and malaria is another item topping these 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon. Health care facilities have seen a reduction in cases to one per 2,000 population, treating 3.3 to 3.7 million cases per year, a reduction of 24 percent as of the year 2017. Insect control measures through the distribution of over 20 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the strategic spraying of DDT have significantly lowered the risk of contracting the disease. However, the situation is still out of control. With 16 identified primary and secondary strains of the plasmodium parasite and up to 52 strains altogether, mutation and resistance to drug treatments and insecticides is an ongoing problem.
  7. There is little available data on bacterial and respiratory infections. Bacterial lower respiratory infections and co-infections are examples of the need for better diagnostic tools for the tracking, management and treatment of illnesses that impact life expectancy in Cameroon. Few studies tracking the number of cases country-wide are available, but a 2019 hospital-based review study of tested cultures from 141 adult patients with symptoms showed that pneumonia and influenza are most prevalent. Fourteen out of 61 patients had co-infections, with influenza implicated in 12 out of 61 cases.
  8. The youngest children are the most vulnerable to bacterial infection. An earlier hospital-based review study revealed more tangible information about the cause of death for children under 5 years of age. The study gathered and examined medical records for 812 children who died between 2006 and 2012.  Communicable and parasitic diseases, respiratory diseases, sepsis and nutritional deficiencies related to being too sick to eat were responsible for 71.5 percent of the deaths.
  9. Conflict has forced farmers to abandon their fields, taking away jobs in agriculture and creating further limits on already limited natural resources. The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations have increased funding since 2013. In 2019, Cameroon spent $19.55 million with the goal of reducing dependence on aid through supporting the immediate needs of food security, safe drinking water, sanitation and access to primary health care. The Joint Humanitarian Response Plan for 2019 requested $299 million to assist 2.3 million people in Cameroon. Of this money, $29.5 million went to food security, $3.5 million went to nutrition requirements, $3.2 million went to shelter and non-food items and $1.8 million went to health care requirements.
  10. Cameroon’s economy is a roller-coaster. A roller-coaster economy directly impacts life expectancy by creating financial limits on the quality of life for citizens of Cameroon. Conflict in the C.A.R., the war against Boko Haram, labor disputes over wages and working conditions, corruption and falling tax revenue all add context to these 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon. The good news is that the National Anti-corruption Commission, and other such agencies working with the government, have helped restore 375 billion CFA francs to the government coffers. The nation’s economy grew 4.1 percent in 2019, but inflation increased to 2.4 percent. Cameroon’s budget has decreased in recent years as lower oil prices have impacted its chief source of revenue. The government persists in engaging foreign investors for the improvement of infrastructure and to enhance its economic footprint.

These 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon indicate the country’s challenges in maintaining a high life expectancy for its people. However, its life expectancy should improve through funding, improving medical care and reducing corruption.

– Lorna Kelly
Photo: Wikimedia Commons