Yousef Rakkad of GOAL explains the urgent need to shift from food aid to self-sustaining approaches in Syria. He shares the story of a displaced widow from Aleppo who launched a food processing business with a $500 grant that transformed her into the breadwinner for her family. Yusef also highlights the risks faced by humanitarian workers on the front lines—targeted by snipers and subjected to shelling—which severely impacts aid delivery. He stresses that robust coordination and sustainable, locally driven interventions are essential for empowering communities to move from dependency on aid to lasting self-reliance.