April 30, 2024 - The steady rise in the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance to survive in Syria, as well as the continued mass displacement due to the escalation of violence across various geographies, highlight the need for sustainable funding that increases the resilience and self-reliance of Syrians and for the humanitarian response. The Syria Brussels VIII Conference, which started today and will continue throughout May is a key opportunity to gurantee the urgently needed increase in humanitarian funding.
The protracted 13-year conflict and the attendant economic crisis and loss of livelihoods for millions of Syrians, coupled with a three-year long drought impacting agricultural production, has left an unprecedented number of Syrians in need of aid. This year, the number of people who need humanitarian aid reached 16.7 million – 65% of the population – representing a 9.15% increase from 2023. The majority of people in need are women and girls (50.4%) or children (45%).
In a country where 90% of the population are estimated to be living under the poverty line, the funding gaps are having disastrous impacts on the communities we serve.Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Syria Country Director
Despite these growing needs, in 2023, the humanitarian response in Syria faced acute funding shortfalls, with a staggering 61% gap in the overall requirements. The situation is expected to worsen in 2024.
“Budget cuts are impacting all sectors, including food, health, and shelter,” said Jolien Veldwijk, CARE Syria Country Director. “In a country where 90% of the population are estimated to be living under the poverty line, the funding gaps are having disastrous impacts on the communities we serve. Donors should prioritize direct funding to local actors, including to women led organization, who are best placed to deliver most cost effective, sustainable, culturally appropriate interventions with greater accountability to affected people, including women and girls.”
We have been displaced about five times.Huda, a mother of eight who lives with her children and husband in a camp since 2017.
The number of internally displaced people inside Syria as well as refugees, who mostly reside in neighboring countries like Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan, is among the highest in the world. Repeated and protracted displacement either due to the escalation of conflict, or due to the February earthquakes that struck parts of southern Türkiiye and northern Syria, highlight the growing scale of challenges.
“We have been displaced about five times,” said Huda, a mother of eight who lives with her children and husband in a camp they arrived at in 2017. “Our living conditions are the biggest challenge, securing our food, buying clothes, and sending our kids to school. The lack of income to help us get by is the most difficult thing we are experiencing.”
The lack of income to help us get by is the most difficult thing we are experiencing.Huda, a mother of eight who lives with her children and husband in a camp since 2017.
Millions of IDPs and refugees continue to live in tents while suffering from mounting challenges in accessing the most basic of health and education services. Protection monitoring and response activities have scaled back, including critical gender-based violence services and safe centers for women and girls, who suffer the brunt of this crisis.
Funding cuts by the World Food Programme (WFP) leading to a reduction of approximately 80% of the number of individuals benefitting from food assistance across Syria in 2024 are already having serious impact on child nutrition.
The situation in the camp is difficult, just the fact that we are living in tents.Um Khaled, a woman who has been residing in a camp hosting internally displaced people along with her husband since 2017
“We cannot say that the assistance we receive covers all our needs, we always have to choose one thing over the other. Sometimes we need to sell in-kind assistance we get like cleaning detergents, to buy something else we need,” said Um Khaled who has been residing in a camp hosting internally displaced people along with her husband since 2017 following a series of displacements that began in 2013. “The situation in the camp is difficult, just the fact that we are living in tents.”
We see people who have been living in tents for five years or more, highlighting the urgency for dignified and durable shelter solutions.Rishana Haniffa, CARE Türkiye Country Director
Inadequate shelters also compound protection risks. Tents are designed to offer temporary emergency shelter for about 6-12 months, but in sites hosting IDPs inside Syria and neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees, people have been living in tents for years.
“We see people who have been living in tents for five years or more, highlighting the urgency for dignified and durable shelter solutions that help reduce dependency on short-term funding cycles, reduce the need for yearly large-scale winter support programs, increase resilience and offer a greater degree of protection,” said Rishana Haniffa, CARE Türkiye Country Director.
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