WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A lack of access to food, soaring prices and a collapse in food production has left the children of Syria at risk of malnutrition, Save the Children warned today.

The aid agency has gathered testimonies from refugees in neighboring countries, as well as residents trapped by fighting and enduring siege-like conditions, who detailed families' desperate struggle to feed their children. 

More than four million Syrians – more than two million of them children – are unable to produce or buy enough food, with many thousands living under fire and with no access to all but the bare minimum foodstuffs needed to survive. Save the Children is already seeing reports that one in 20 children in rural Damascus is severely malnourished.

Save the Children has heard refugee accounts of children forced to subsist off nothing more than lentils or bread for days on end, with one family trapped in their basement by explosions eating just half a piece of bread each over the course of four days.

In a briefing on the state of hunger in Syria, released today, Save the Children also details how severe food shortages are being compounded by an explosion in food prices. The cost of even the most basic food items has spiralled out of control with the cost of the most basic supplies increasing 100 percent.

Among the testimonies Save the Children has gathered:

• It was very dangerous for me and my children – we had no food and were always hungry. When this hunger had continued for two months and we were very weak, that is when we decided to flee. We realized we would starve if we stayed in Syria. – Roula, mother
• The price of food doubled in my village and we couldn't afford to eat at all. Milk, bread, everything – doubled. The children became very hungry all the time. And with no nutrients, they also became sick. – Jinan, mother of Siba, 3
• Because of a lack of food, my children didn't grow as they should. They started losing weight, and it was all we could do to keep them alive. – Maryam, mother of two

The war has shattered Syria's economy, and the United Nations now estimates close to seven million inhabitants have been plunged into poverty since fighting began. In addition, Syria's agriculture and infrastructure are collapsing, with grain production falling to less than half of what was typical before the war. 

"The world has stood and watched as the children of Syria have been shot, shelled and traumatized by the horror of war. The conflict has already left thousands of children dead, and is now threatening their means of staying alive," said Roger Hearn, Save the Children's regional director for the Middle East.

"That some children are going to bed trapped amid fighting – terrified, alone, vulnerable – and with empty stomachs ought to be a stain on all our consciences.

"We understand there is a political debate over what to do next in Syria, but we believe everyone can agree on the critical need for safe humanitarian access across the entire country. There is no room for delay or argument: Syria's children must not be allowed to go hungry."

A lack of security makes gathering data on child malnutrition rates extremely difficult throughout Syria. However, all available evidence – including spiralling food costs, a collapse of infrastructure and food production, and testimonies of individuals' experiences with hunger – suggests Syria's children are facing a mounting struggle to feed themselves.

To donate to Save the Children's response to the Syria crisis or for more information, go to savethechildren.org/syria

Notes for editors:

• Save the Children is delivering lifesaving aid to thousands across Syria and is helping hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the war in countries throughout the region.
• The UN's World Food Programme has reported that one in 20 children in rural Damascus is severely malnourished, with 14 percent reported to be acutely malnourished.
• The cost of basic food commodities has risen by more than 100 percent in several governorates.
• Syria's Human Development Index has been put back 35 years by the conflict as a result of reduced life expectancy, damage to schools and war's economic impact.
• UNWRA estimates the war has plunged 6.7 million Syrians into poverty.

Save the Childrenis the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in 120 countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities. In times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. Follow us on TwitterandFacebook.

Related Links: Donate to help Syrian refugees  Save the Children

Image with caption: "Syrian refugee children team up in the Domiz refugee camp, which is in the Kurdish part of Iraq. The living conditions in the camp are tough for the around 55,000 Syrian refugees who are staying there. Photo by Rob Holden." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130923/MM83615

PDF entitled: "Hunger in a War Zone: The Growing Crisis Behind the Syria Conflict" available at:  http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/ENR/FX-MM83615-20130923-2.pdf

SOURCE Save the Children

RELATED LINKShttp://www.savethechildren.org