An influx of donations will let the U.N. World Food Program distribute food aid to 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt.
The program announced on Dec. 1 that it had run out of funding and could no longer add money to electronic vouchers refugees used to buy food, Reuters reports. In the days since, $80 million has been brought in — most of that is from various governments, but $1.8 million came from individuals and private sector donors in 158 countries. By mid-December, about $30 per family member will be put on each voucher, with some funds left over for January. "This outpouring of support in such a short time is unprecedented," WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin said in a statement.
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