Syria Crises

Syrians have faced a devastating decade of crisis and previously unimaginable hardship.

Since the onset of the crisis, Islamic Relief have invested over £350 million in delivering wide-ranging humanitarian programming in Syria and neighbouring countries. We have been working deep inside the country to reach vulnerable families.

For over a decade, the crisis in Syria has taken a terrible toll on the civilian population and left at least 11.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 4.8 million of which are children. Some 6.2 million have been displaced within the country, many of whom have fled repeatedly in a desperate search for safety.

Covid-19 threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system, which is already on the brink of collapse, and has pushed people into ever deepening poverty. In 2020, while many organisations to halt or scale back their operations, Islamic Relief remained by the side of vulnerable people in Syria, supporting 2.5 million people.

We provided food to over 770,000 internally displaced people, vital healthcare support to almost 1.2 million people and personal protective equipment (PPE), sterilisation solutions and other medical equipment to 84 health facilities in north-west Syria.

Our comprehensive Syria emergency response includes:

• Healthcare
• Shelter
• Food security
• Education
• Livelihoods
• Water, sanitation and hygiene
• Orphan sponsorship

We also continue to push the international community for urgent action to end the suffering in Syria.

Why your help is needed

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) predict that in 2021 the number of people in Syria that require humanitarian assistance will rise to 13 million. Coronavirus is expected to spread further, most acutely affecting people living in overcrowded areas where basic service provision is weak.

Many of the 6 million Syrians who have been displaced have now been living in dire conditions for years, facing daily threats to their lives, dignity and wellbeing. There are ongoing food and water shortages, and 9.8 million people are food insecure; unsure of where their next meal is coming from.

In a stark reminder of how urgently we need to see an end to this crisis, more than 15 Syrian hospitals supported by Islamic Relief came under attack during 2020.

Islamic Relief has been responding to the crisis since its onset in 2011. Today, we are working deep inside Syria to help those that most need assistance, and are one of the largest aid organisations operating in northern Syria.

We also provide much-needed support to vulnerable families seeking safety in nearby countries, working to ease their suffering and support host communities in meeting the needs of the new arrivals.

Islamic Relief remains committed to continuing and expanding our life-saving work, and providing sustained humanitarian assistance whenever we can, as well as urging the international community to work together to bring an end to the crisis.