News Feature: Fourth anniversary of the Syria conflict
News Feature: Fourth anniversary of the Syria conflict
Sunday 15th March 2015. The fourth anniversary of the Syria conflict.
As the civil war that has torn apart Syria enters its fifth year, millions of Syrians are in a bitter struggle for survival, not only in their shattered homeland but in refugee camps, towns and cities in neighbouring countries.
More than a third of Syria’s population has been forced to flee their homes, many fearing they will never return. Thousands of Syrian children born in refugee camps have never seen the country of their parents. Countless families have been separated, wondering if they will ever again see their loved ones.
- More than 200,000 have been killed since the conflict began
- Nearly 10 million of Syria’s 23 million population are refugees or displaced
- The number of registered refugees is approaching 4 million
- More than 6 million are internally displaced
- It is the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War
With the help of our volunteers, supporters and donors, Islamic Help has stepped up its aid efforts to help Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. In the last few years we have provided emergency food and water, medicines, clothing, hygiene kits, fuel, baby food and clothes for new-borns and education for refugee children.
Our programme has been concentrated in Jordan and through our Jordan office we have distributed aid to refugee camps in areas like Madaba, Al Ramtha, Ma’an and Irbid Governates and Al Mafraq among others.
Our team has also gone out to unregistered refugee camps set up in remote locations which receive little or no aid from agencies to distribute emergency packages and winter fuel provisions.
From Jordan, we have also co-ordinated emergency aid deliveries to camps in Turkey and Lebanon. As part of our contributions to long term recovery, we have tried to ensure that children continue to enjoy their right to education by setting up a school in Istanbul, Turkey, for Syrian refugee children registered in the city.
During Ramadan, our supporters have ensured that tens of thousands of refugees have enough food and water to see them through the blessed month, and children are provided with Eid gifts. Iftars have been held in refugee camps and special distributions made to orphan families.
Volunteers on deployment from the UK have helped in these distributions and on one occasion arranged for a pregnant Syrian to have an emergency Caesarean by funding her surgery.
Other highlights have included the donation of more than £500,000 of clothing and shoes from Muslim businesses in Panama which have been distributed at refugee camps, and more recently we have accelerated a programme providing maternal aid for refugee mothers and their new-borns.
As we enter the fifth year of the Syrian conflict, we can only thank all our supporters and donors for their tremendous efforts to help the refugees of Syria and ask for your continued generosity in this immense humanitarian operation. Donate today.
