Children holding hands in a circle in a refugee camp in Syria around a colourful parachute
Where we work

Syria

Since 2012, War Child has been responding to the conflict-driven crisis in Syria. In 2023, our efforts intensified due to the devastating earthquakes in the northwest of the country.

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The brutal armed conflict inside Syria’s borders has raged for over 12 years, separating families and leaving immense humanitarian need in its wake.

The situation was made significantly worse in 2023 when a series of earthquakes with magnitudes up to 7.8 hit the Türkiye-Syria border. Following the earthquakes, aftershocks continued to cause destruction, making recovery efforts all the more difficult.

More than 5,900 people were killed, and 8.8 million were affected. The earthquakes caused life-altering damage to homes and critical infrastructure, leaving thousands of families without food, water, and shelter.

Scale of the challenge

  • 7 M

    Children in need of humanitarian assistance.

  • 6.9 M

    People internally displaced.

  • 2.4 M

    Children out of school.

Our work in Syria

Together with our local partners, War Child is on the ground in Northeast and Northwest Syria, in areas affected by the conflict and earthquakes. War Child provides an integrated mix of education, protection, livelihoods, and mental health support, while also ensuring access to healthcare, clean water, and sanitation. A key focus of our work is delivering vital educational programmes. In 2023, we reached 192,202 people including 120,180 children.

Farah drawing on a whiteboard.
Photo taken by War Child.
The War Child sessions have helped me a lot. It’s a lot of fun because we play and laugh and work together. Now, I don’t feel so stressed.
Farah, Syria

War Child Programmes Include:

  • Providing mental health support through play and movement-based activities and psychological first aid to displaced and host community children through our network of safe spaces. 
  • Extending this support to teachers and caregivers through self-care strategies and a proven combination of stress reduction and positive parenting. 15,874 people access vital mental health and psychosocial support in 2023.
  • Rehabilitating schools and setting up alternative learning centres and mobile classrooms so that displaced children and those moving from place to place can continue their education. 13,770 children were able to continue their education with our support in 2023.
  • Strengthening understanding of sexual and gender-based violence and the multiple forms it takes via training for local psychosocial support workers. Throughout 2023, 107,333 people from local communities accessed vital awareness sessions focusing on a range of topics, including child protection challenges and the importance of education.
  • Offering technical and vocational courses and apprenticeship opportunities for youth to help them support their families. 6628 people accessed essential food security and livelihood support in 2023.
  • Delivering basic items such as bread parcels, hygiene and menstrual products, blankets, and warm clothing to families affected by the earthquakes and escalations in violence. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services were provided to 86,241 people throughout 2023.

 

Earthquake Emergency Response

War Child and our partners responded quickly to the devastating earthquakes in 2023, providing temporary shelters, sanitation, food assistance, cash disbursements, and vital psychosocial support for children. The response has reached over 75,000 people so far.

Children playing in a refugee camp in Syria.
Photo taken by War Child.
We won’t stop until every child living through conflict is safe from harm. But we can’t do it without you. 

Donate to War Child today and help us be there for children in Syria and other conflict zones around the world.

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