For millions of Lebanese and refugees, food security is becoming harder to attain. As such, in this time of distress, the World Food Program (WFP) has been instrumental in helping to feed Lebanese citizens and refugees. But despite its crucial need, WFP’s resources are getting extremely scarce, and the future of their support is continuously volatile.
As we know, Lebanon’s economy has deteriorated at a rapid rate over the last five years. A family of five now needs about 38.4 million LBP per month (around 426$), just to cover basic food and survival needs. But in a country where many earn far less, that sum is simply impossible to attain.
According to the latest data, but before October 2024, 44% of Lebanese people lived below the poverty line. And it was not just locals who were struggling, as Lebanon has been a home to 1.5 million Syrian refugees and hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees for years. In response, the WFP stepped up, providing essential support to those who need it most. In July alone, they reached over 680,000 people with food and cash assistance, a number that continued to increase as the country’s needs spiral. And this became manifestly clear in October 2024 with the escalation of war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has left 1.2 million Lebanese as refugees in their own country.
To further understand the scale of Lebanon’s food crisis, consider the following: in March 2024, 19% of Lebanon’s population was food insecure; but by April that figure had increased to 23%, meaning nearly 1.3 million people were food deprived. And with the current war, this figure must have increased by a lot more. To wit, in the south of Lebanon, where the conflict with Israel is currently raging, the WFP has managed in July alone to assist and provide emergency food and cash distributions to more than 72,000 people in that region. However, with the conflict increasing since October, so does the immense challenge to keep up with rising demand.
However, the WFP faces a terrible funding shortage. To retain its operations in Lebanon, the organization needs $290.1 million by January 2025. But so far only 25% of the funds required under the WFP’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP) have been secured. Without additional support, assistance will decrease, and more people will be left without the help that they sorely need. In this respect and in a broader sense, international support is crucial for Lebanon, not only to provides basic needs to country, but also to help in the critical task of rebuilding it
By: Jana Boumatar
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