A country with half of its current population in need of humanitarian aid – news from Syria on the 10th year of war
Published: Feb 26, 2021 Reading time: 3 minutes
Imagine a country where 1 in 2 people have fled their homes.
Every day, while performing our humanitarian work in the field in Syria, we see how the situation continues to deteriorate. The conflict is protracted and the country is on the verge of economic collapse. People crowd into lines to buy subsidised bread, their pantries empty from skyrocketing prices. Families struggle to buy medicines while livelihoods options are almost a pipe dream. Students who are able to go to school are the lucky ones, as more than half of children continue to be deprived of education. The number of people in Syria who lack access to sufficient food has reached a record 12.4 million, or nearly 60% of the population.
This is Syria today and we hate to bring you such distressing #NewsFromSyria.
After 10 years of war, international rules are not being respected with attacks on civilian people ongoing, despite an active ceasefire in place. There are overcrowded areas in the Syrian northwest where people live in a sort of strip, with poor access to facilities, goods and infrastructure. People tell us that they do not even try to rehabilitate a house to live in: the past 10 years of conflict have showed them the high chances that they will be forced to move yet again.
PIN Executive Director, Šimon Pánek: “The war in Syria must end. It is devastating to see how, after 10 years of conflict, the humanitarian needs continue to increase. It is sad to see that millions of children have not had regular access to education throughout the conflict. As political actors work toward a solution, access and funding for humanitarian responders should also be ensured so that we can continue saving lives through the most urgent and basic assistance. We need to be able to support longer-term solutions that enable individuals and communities to resume their livelihoods, reopen schools, and restore resilience to a country crushed by an ongoing conflict.”
People in Need stands with the people of Syria and claims for increased and improved access and funding for organisations like ours to be able to reach the most vulnerable. War has pushed 11 million individuals in the country into the need of emergency assistance. The international community needs to understand not engaging in the response is not an option.
It is a humanitarian imperative to respond to the conflict with aid, and a human right to receive it.
More about PIN’S RESPONSE IN SYRIA
Thanks to our current donors. Their support is crucial to continue assisting vulnerable people. Funding has been generously provided, among others, by the European Union Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the European Union Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), the Swiss government, the United States’ Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
We would also like to thank everyone in the Czech Republic who donated to our SOS Syria appeals, Real Gift, or via PIN’s Club of Friends.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
1. Check out our campaign #NewsFromSyria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to understand the lives of the people in Syria and share them with the world it if they helped you reflect on the crisis:
2. In your posts, tag influencers and decision makers, urging them to share concern about the 11 million people in Syria in need of humanitarian assistance.
3. Donate to PIN and other organisations that are helping to provide life-sustaining aid on the ground in Syria.
For more information, please contact:
In the Czech Republic: Tomáš Kocian, People in Need’s Regional Director for the Middle East, ☎ +420 777 787 970, ✉ tomas.kocian@peopleinneed.cz
In the Middle East: Joseph Perini, People in Need’s Country Director for Syria, ☎ +964 (0) 751-741-0120, ✉ joseph.perini@peopleinneed.cz
