Stepping up emergency relief in Syria

As the situation for the civil population worsens further, and the harsh conditions of wintertime are foreseen to worsen suffering, we are expanding our work for families in Syria. Children and innocent civilians are caught up in the fighting and many families have fled their homes in fear. According to The Syrian Arab Red Crescent, there are as many as 1.5 million homeless people inside the country. Many left home without any supplies and little money. With no sense of security or stability, parents are unable to provide for their children.

SOS Children's Villages has been working in Syria since 1980. In August 2012, we increased our work in Damascus to help some 4,000 displaced families affected by the crisis who found shelter in public schools and with relatives or friends.

As the situation for families worsens further, and the harsh conditions of wintertime are foreseen to worsen suffering, we are expanding our work in the country further. We are planning to help up to 10,000 people displaced from their homes by the violence, across at least three locations i.e. Damascus city and country side, Aleppo city and surrounding areas, Homs or Latakia.

The assistance will include food packages and other essentials like mattresses, sanitary articles and cloths for vulnerable children and their families. They will also be offered medical treatments and nutritional support. Children will receive psychological care in child friendly spaces in refugee camps, where they can work through the trauma they have experienced with qualified staff. We will ensure that they can continue their education despite the difficult conditions, by paying for school fees and educational equipment.