Secretary of State John Kerry announced today the United States is providing more than $290 million in additional U.S. humanitarian assistance to help those affected by the war in Syria. With this additional funding, total U.S. humanitarian assistance since the start of the crisis will reach more than $2 billion, helping over 4.7 million people inside Syria, more than 2.8 million refugees in the region, as well as host communities in the neighboring countries affected by the crisis.

The United States remains committed to delivering humanitarian assistance through all available channels – including UN, international, non-governmental, and local humanitarian organizations – to get aid to those in need in Syria, no matter where they reside or have sought refuge.

This funding includes $135 million for food assistance provided by the World Food Program (WFP), which, despite overwhelming obstacles, is working to feed 4 million people in Syria and 1.6 million refugees throughout the region. The United States commends these valiant efforts. With today’s announcement, the United States continues its commitment to help those affected by the crisis in Syria through the UN’s broad network.

This additional assistance also includes more than $133 million in humanitarian aid through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in and around Syria, further bolstering the United States’ ability to reach vulnerable Syrians no matter where they reside. We continue to work closely with the international humanitarian community and other donors to determine the most effective ways to scale up humanitarian assistance in Syria.

INSIDE SYRIA: Nearly $169 million

This new assistance will provide additional life-saving aid inside Syria, including more than $119 million through international and non-governmental organizations and nearly $50 million though the WFP. This new assistance from the United States will provide additional family food parcels and flour to bakeries, increase access to clean water, help improve sanitation, and provide much-needed household supplies to those in need across all of Syria’s 14 governorates. In addition, this funding will further expand basic and emergency health care programs in Syria, including trauma care and prevention and treatment of illnesses. It will also expand much-needed counseling and protection programs to help the most vulnerable, including women, children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.

REGIONALLY: More than $121 million

To help ease the impact of the massive refugee influx on Syria’s neighbors, today’s announcement includes more than $121 million for immediate lifesaving food, water, and medicine, as well as initiatives to aid the more than 1.3 million refugee children forced from their homes by the conflict in Syria.

In Lebanon, more than $51 million is being provided to the WFP and non-governmental organizations for food assistance, protection, shelter, water, and sanitation in host communities, community-based education programs, and programs to prevent gender-based violence.

In Jordan, more than $35 million is being provided to the WFP and NGOs for food assistance, protection, education opportunities for children who have been out of school, community-based safe spaces for women, and child-friendly spaces for children.

In Turkey, $15 million is being provided to the WFP, which is working in partnership with the Government of Turkey and the Turkish Red Crescent to provide electronic food vouchers to camp-based refugees from Syria for redemption at designated shops in and near the camps.

In Iraq, more than $15 million is being provided to the WFP and NGOs for food assistance, shelter, improving water and sanitation, increased access to education, and integrated primary and mental health care.

In Egypt, $4.5 million is being provided to the WFP for food assistance, which includes paper and electronic food vouchers for use by refugees living in urban areas of Cairo, Damietta, Alexandria, and Matrouh. Refugees can redeem their vouchers for food at 34 different participating vendors.

Despite this commitment, the UN’s $6.5 billion combined humanitarian appeal for Syria remains more than two-thirds unfunded. The United States urges all nations to support the urgent needs inside Syria and in neighboring countries through the UN humanitarian appeals.

For more detailed information on the U.S. Government’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, please visit: www.usaid.gov/crisis/syria.