The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a news update today that caught my eye because of three words: cranes, drones, and food. I don’t often see these words near each other, but in this case, each of these nouns played an important role in getting life-saving aid to Syrians stranded at the border with Jordan.
According to WFP, more than 75,000 people – mostly children, women, and the elderly – who are seeking to escape the conflict in Syria are living in an area of earthen embankments between Jordan and Syria known as the “berm.”
These families are stranded in horrible conditions and need relief. Yet since the border was closed following an attack in June, aid agencies have struggled to get food and other supplies to Syrians in need.
So WFP and its partners for the first time ever used 70-meter-high cranes to lift food and hygiene kits from Jordan and lower them into the embankments. Drones flew above to monitor the operation. You can read more about the innovative operation on the WFP website.
As I read about the crane delivery, two thoughts stuck out to me:
1. In today’s world, no person should go hungry. Sadly, conflict and disaster have left millions of people in desperate need of aid. None of us should be ok with this world, and each of us should remember that we can act – donating money, emailing our elected officials – to help families in need.
2. WFP and aid agencies continue to do innovative work on the front lines of humanitarian crises. They need our support and adequate resources to get food and other life-saving supplies to families who have lost everything.
Wanting our families to have enough food to eat is a universal experience and a reminder of our common humanity. Let’s work together to support the 130 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Visit WFP.org to get involved.
[Photo: WFPShada Moghraby]