STORY: Syrians endure deepening food insecurity as WFP food rations endSHOOTING TIME: Feb. 18, 2024DATELINE: Feb. 19, 2024LENGTH: 00:03:14LOCATION: ALEPPO, SyriaCATEGORY: POLITICS/SOCIETYSHOTLIST:1. various of WFP center in Aleppo2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED HINDAWI, Aleppo Resident3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MOHAMMED HINDAWI, Aleppo Resident4. various of WFP center in Aleppo5. SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): SUAD AL-SHAWI, Aleppo Resident6. various of Hadia Kurdi’s home7. SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): HADIA KURDI, Aleppo Resident8. SOUNDBITE 5 (Arabic): HADIA KURDI, Aleppo Resident9. various of interview with WFP representative and country director in Syria10. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): KENN CROSSLEY, WFP Representative and Country Director in SyriaSTORYLINE:In war-torn Syria, the recent cuts to food aid by the World Food Program (WFP) have cast a dark shadow over families already struggling with hardship and despair.Mohammed Ibrahim Hindawi, once a skilled tailor, now finds himself grappling with unemployment following a debilitating injury sustained in the Saadallah Al-Jaberi Square explosion in Aleppo in 2013.As a father of six, he had relied on aid to stave off hunger and provide for his family. However, with the lifeline of assistance severed, Hindawi faces an agonizing dilemma: feed himself or his children.The man now does simple sewing work and has three of his children drop out of school to work and help make money for the family.SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): MOHAMMED HINDAWI, Aleppo Resident”Now the situation has become dire. I have to decide whether to feed myself first or the children. I swear to God, yesterday I couldn’t find anything to eat. We have no income, and the children’s expenses are not enough. Without aid, we cannot survive.”His predicament comes as the WFP stated in December 2023 that it would stop its general food assistance program across Syria at the start of 2024 due to funding shortages.The halt of the food assistance comes at a bad time for Syrians as the specter of hunger looms large over Syrian households due to the suffocating economic crisis in the country.The cries for help were loud for Hindawi, and countless others, as the reinstatement of food aid is not just a matter of sustenance, but also a lifeline of hope in a sea of despair.SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): MOHAMMED HINDAWI, Aleppo Resident”I hope the aid returns because life without it is difficult. Death is better because life now means slow death with nothing to eat or drink. We have children, and we don’t know how they will survive. We hope the aid returns.”His sentiments echo those of his wife, Suaad Mohamed Al-Shawi, who is still in disbelief about the food aid cut. She said she still anxiously checks her phone, hoping to get the message that she used to receive whenever the food parcel was available.SOUNDBITE 3 (Arabic): SUAD AL-SHAWI, Aleppo Resident”Yesterday, the children were hungry. My daughter, who suffers from a heart condition, came to me and said, ‘Mom, I’m hungry, I want to eat.’ I told her to wait for her father to come. I sent her to the neighbors to get a tea bag, so I could make them tea with some milk I had. I don’t know what to say. My children are young, they go from 8 am to 7 pm without eating much, and I can’t help them.”The story is similar for Hadia Kamel Kurdi, a mother of five who once benefited from years of aid, which provided essential staples for her family.Now, with the aid cut off, she struggles to afford even the most necessities.SOUNDBITE 4 (Arabic): HADIA KURDI, Aleppo Resident”The aid helped me a lot. Now that it has stopped, I only manage to get a little oil and sugar. We have reduced our tea consumption because there is no more food for the children. I even suffer from weak teeth due to poor nutrition and lack of calcium. I have four children, three of them work, but it’s still not enough.”SOUNDBITE 5 (Arabic): HADIA KURDI, Aleppo Resident”We survive on very little. We eat the basics like olives and thyme in small quantities. Even the children are suffering from dehydration.”Addressing the situation in a recent interview with Xinhua, Kenn Crossley, the WFP representative and country director in Syria, stressed the urgent need for continued support, highlighting the fragile and unstable nature of the situation in Syria.SOUNDBITE 6 (English): KENN CROSSLEY, WFP Representative and Country Director in Syria”The first message is that this is not the time to abandon the people of Syria. Their needs are real or in a situation which is very fragile and unstable even now, so we cannot abandon the people of Syria. The whole international community has to come together to support the people of Syria now in this truly critical and important moment.”Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Aleppo, Syria.(XHTV)