Syria has been plagued with civil war since 2011, when anti-regime protests exploded across the country. More than half of the population has fled their homes, and over 12 million struggle to find food each day, according to UN estimates.

Due to its relative isolation, instability, and Syrian government policies, delivery of humanitarian aid to northeast Syria is exceptionally difficult. But Spirit of America’s relationship with the US military allows us to reach places that are often inaccessible to support those in dire need.

In collaboration with the US Army Special Operations teams and the local civil council, Spirit of America provided emergency food aid for 350 marginalized families in Diban. Each parcel was filled with enough rice, lentils, bulgur, beans, tomato paste, oil, and salt to help feed a family for a month.

A US Army Captain told us that after visiting villages throughout northeast Syria, he was struck by the severity of the food crisis in Diban.

“Disastrously low supplies of food and drinking water have moved the population right up to the threshold of desperation,” he wrote. “Any aid package of food or water would be enough to buy us all time to find more enduring solutions.”

At the distribution site, hundreds of local women, many with children in tow, massed around the building, underscoring how critical the need for food aid is. They waited hours in line as civil council leaders and the US Army team assisted in handing out Spirit of America food packages.

This project complements US efforts to increase the stability of vulnerable communities in northeast Syria and improve relations between US troops and local leaders. Spirit of America recently worked with the US Army to support women’s health in Syria, and before that, we provided food aid to thousands of Syrians displaced by ISIS.

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