Forgotten in Syria: Humanitarian Aid
Although, 60,000+ have lost their lives during the two year Syrian war, the U.N. estimates that four million refugees in and outside of Syria need help. Need a tent, food, water, blankets and other basics to survive the winter weather. Many families may have a tent only to find the rain flooding it inside or from nearby rivers. People need winter clothing, shoes. Over one million are going hungry from two basic reasons: the war zone areas that prohibit humanitarian aid from reaching them and a lack of funding because of budget limitations of the U.N. and others.
The food aid reaching Syria is delivered by the World Food Program but because of the war their distribution centers have either been destroyed or evacuated as the war includes them. Centers in Homs, Tartus, Aleppo are no longer there. The WFP has its own logistical problems like a lack of fuel for the trucks, drivers willing to travel in war zones, looters who storm the trucks at times.
But, where are the filthy rich people and entertainers who could help more? Why has Paul McCartney not donated or create a concert to benefit the refugees? He did so for others in the past, even animals, like the Polar Bear. What about U2, they certainly have done concerts to help the hungry. Why can't Donald Trump donate a few million for food aid?
Reports of the Syrian army's 450th Chemical Weapons Unit has mixed deadly Sarin gas and loaded it into bombs certainly has curtails efforts. Even in the areas where the Free Syrian Army controls has proven difficult to get aid into. The infrastructure of these areas are simply demolished.
To the Syrians impacted, they feel the world sits on the edge just watching, unwilling to really get involved out of fear that Assad will use the deadly gas. In the sense they are right, the US has stated that they cannot do anything to prevent him, that, no US troops will enter Syria, and the chemical weapon sites are a international problem, not a US problem. Obama is paralyzed to do anything more but say hollow words to Assad. Turkey has been left with the crisis on its border, something they do not want or were prepared for.
When the desperation is bad enough, the outside world will finally do something more. Until then, the world sits and watches. How pathetic.