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Syria crisis

War has forced more than half of Syria’s population to flee their homes. Children and families who’ve become refugees and millions trapped inside Syria need help right now.

Emergency – Your support is urgently needed
Donate now

Syria crisis

War has forced more than half of Syria’s population to flee their homes. Children and families who’ve become refugees and millions trapped inside Syria need help right now.

Emergency – Your support is urgently needed
Donate now

Syria – humanitarian needs

Now in its 10th year, the conflict in Syria is the world's largest humanitarian crisis. More than six million Syrians are internally displaced and over 5.6 million people have been forced to seek refuge outside Syria.

In Syria alone, almost 13.1 million people need humanitarian assistance, five million of whom are children. World Vision has been assisting children and families affected by the conflict since it began.

Syria conflict explained

The Syrian civil war officially began on 15 March 2011. Since then, brutal conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of people, torn the nation apart and set back living standards by decades. Health centres and hospitals, schools and other basic infrastructure have been damaged and destroyed. Once busy marketplaces have been reduced to rubble.

In Jordan and Lebanon, resettlement has become long term, altering the traditional demographics and patterns of life in cities and towns amidst tension and competition over jobs and basic services. Though armed violence has declined in Iraq and over 4.2 million people are returning to their homes, 1.7 million people, including 800,000 children, still remain displaced.  

In early 2019, the Syrian army and various military groups continue to fight for control over territory in the country's north. The war has become a sectarian conflict, with religious groups opposing each other. The conflict has deeply affected the entire Middle East region.

Donate to the Syria Crisis Appeal

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Excess funds: Should we receive contributions more than the needs in a particular emergency appeal, we will use the excess in other emergency-related activity.  


360 degrees in Za'atari refugee camp

Mahmoud, 15, arrived at the Jordanian refugee camp Za'atari in 2012 along with his parents and six siblings. He gives us a 360 degree view of how his life has changed since then.

 

World Vision's Syria response

World Vision’s initial response to the crisis focused on supporting the resettlement and basic needs of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. World Vision is now responding in five countries – Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq – and works beyond families’ basic needs to tackle complex social problems that affect children’s rights and individual resilience. In 2018, we provided assistance to 1.2 million people including 700,000 children. 

This assistance included:

  • helping people access food, clean water, sanitation and hygiene services
  • providing shelter and emergency supplies such as blankets, stoves and warm winter clothing
  • supporting fractured health systems: hospitals, maternal services, health centres and mobile clinics
  • providing safe spaces for children to learn, play and receive other forms of support
  • implementing programs addressing children’s social interactions, family bonds and psychosocial wellbeing
  • supporting bridging courses and additional classes to get children back to school

Most of the refugee population, especially children, are starting to reclaim their lives and livelihoods through education. To help them reach their goals, we have helped construct schools, rehabilitate education infrastructure, and provide livelihood assistance to severely affected communities.

 

Syrian refugee children aged 3-6 attend a World Vision Early Childhood Education program at Rajab in Lebanon. For many of the children attending this is their first experience of directed group activities.


More about Syria

Notes on the Syrian exodus

Read the reflections of Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan on the plight of Syrian refugees.

The cost of conflict for children

Read World Vision and Frontier Economics' new report about the cost of five years of conflict in Syria.

Syrian refugees and children

Learn more about Syria's refugees and children here

Syria conflict facts and statistics

See more Syrian facts and statistics here

Syria conflict and refugee map

View the Syrian conflict/refugee map here

Syrian history timeline

View our Syrian history timeline here
Help children and families fleeing violence in Syria Donate

World Vision Australia is a Christian organisation that works with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.

Where the funds go

83.8% of total funds received go to field programs and advocacy work – helping families and communities. Read more

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