Syria

After thirteen years of brutal conflict in Syria, half of the children have grown up knowing nothing but conflict and crisis. Even before the devastating earthquakes in February 2023, more than 15.3 million need humanitarian assistance- including 7 million children. Many lived in areas where basic services are almost non-existent and the infrastructure, they relied on has been decimated. The economic deterioration, currency collapse, and price rises have contributed to a situation in which there are humanitarian needs in every single part of Syria today. Even before the earthquake, humanitarian needs across the country had never been higher.

More than half the population has been forced to flee their homes, with 7.2 million people currently internally displaced and over 12 million refugees in the region. Many children have lost parents, siblings, or other close relatives.  Two million children are out of school, depriving them of basic skills and a protective environment.

Multiple displacements, poverty, and the deterioration of the household economy as well as attacks on education have contributed to a situation in which 2.4 million children are out of school, depriving them of basic skills and a safe and protective environment, leaving them at risk of being forced into child labour or child marriage. 1.6 million more are at risk of having to drop out. Rates of malnutrition, disease, and disability have increased markedly throughout the crisis. Children report feeling afraid, anxious, and sad, with many showing signs of emotional distress and toxic stress.

We have been working tirelessly to reach children affected by conflict and crisis in Syria since 2012. We provide emergency and lifesaving support, combined with early recovery activities that help restore basic services for children and their families.

Our goal is to ensure that every child in Syria survives, learns and is protected. We have reached over three million Syrians to date including over two million children. We have supported seven primary health care clinics, a maternity hospital, Child Friendly Spaces, as well as education facilities, which include formal schools, informal learning centers and vocational training schools to support education at all levels.

We provide food and nutrition support to ensure children are healthy and well nourished, and help families find sustainable incomes to meet their needs.

Our work also raises awareness of child protection issues. We provide mental health and psychosocial support for the most marginalised and vulnerable children, including unaccompanied and separated children. Through our family tracing and reunification work, we help reunite children that have been separated from their families.

We focus on inclusion, diversity and gender. And we advocate for child-centered early recovery in Syria, which puts the needs of children and their communities at the heart of recovery and rehabilitation.