Since the onset of the conflict in 2011, Syrians have faced numerous challenges, with food insecurity and water scarcity being among the most critical ones. But this summer is more brutal as temperatures are climbing over 40 degrees, water and food are scarcer than ever, and aid funds are drying up too. The grave impact of the heat is heavily felt in camps and informal settlements where 2 million people, nearly 80% of whom are women and children, live in overcrowded conditions without adequate ventilation and cooling.
Amira*, a 40-year-old mother of six was displaced from the countryside of Hama with her family to Idlib in 2017 and then again, several times. Today she lives in a tent in a camp north of Aleppo. She shares some of the daily struggles and challenges of living in the region.
“I live in a tent without a fan, and the weather is extremely hot. The roof is only a fabric cover. How can it protect my children? Because of the living conditions, they are prone to fever and are often sick. At night, we can only sleep after wetting the bedding with water," says Amira*, a 40-year-old mother of 6 who lives in a tent in a camp north of Aleppo.
The roof is only a fabric cover. How can it protect my children? Because of the living conditions, they are prone to fever and are often sick.
Wetting the bedding with water or wrapping wet towels around the body and the head during the day is a common practice people in the camps follow to cool down, but the heat is not the only challenge they face. Accumulated waste and the lack of sanitation facilities or hygiene products exacerbate the situation, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases, fly infestations, leishmaniasis, and scabies in an area with already overburdened medical facilities.
One of the toughest times I remember was when my children went three days without food. I had no money to buy them food.
“Our living situation is very bad. I need medicine, bread, and food to cook. I need all these things " continues Amira*, who CARE supports with cash assistance for food, which in reality she uses to cover many needs, and not only food. "I benefit from the cash for food program, but it is not enough; part of it pays off previous debts, part to secure some food for my children and a part to pay doctors and medicines."
I cannot send [any of my children] to school.
Amira* lost her husband to a gunshot wound during a conflict in the area about two years ago, and today, she must care for her children alone. She cannot find work and is among those who depend solely on humanitarian aid to survive.
"My suffering increased with the rising prices of food and the constant difficulty of finding clean water. Every day, I boil water to purify it because my daughters have kidney stones and urinary tract infections due to the bad water quality. I boil it to make it safe to drink. None of my children go to school due to the living conditions. I cannot send anyone to school. Sometimes, I teach them the alphabet at home, but they don't grasp it as well as they would if they were in school. I buy food and hygiene supplies from the shops on debt,” says Amira*.
As the Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria remains significantly underfunded at just 21% as of July 2024, and with aid decreasing already in several parts of northwest Syria, we can only expect that vulnerable people will be forced to spend the cash they receive for food on other needs and vice versa; and turn to negative coping strategies such as buying food on debt or selling assets, dropping out of school, early forced marriage, child labour, and skipping meals to cope with the crisis.
My heart was breaking from the pain of seeing my children suffering from hunger, and I couldn't do anything.
“One of the toughest times I remember was when my children went three days without food. I had no money to buy them food, and none of the neighbors could lend me even a small amount. Also, the grocery store owner had accumulated debt and could not extend more credit to me. My heart was breaking from the pain of seeing my children suffering from hunger, and I couldn't do anything for them," Amira* recalls.
About 3.6 million people in northwest Syria are food insecure. About 80% of northwest Syria's population requires water and hygiene support, including access to drinking water, waste disposal, and rehabilitation of sanitation facilities. Between September 2023 and June 2024, due to a reduction in funding, CARE’s water, sanitation and hygiene teams have been withdrawing from camps and communities. Where possible, sites have been handed over to other actors; however, it is estimated that more than 445,000 people have been left without access to water, sanitation and hygiene services due CARE’s funding shortfall alone.
The UN estimates that without increased funding, as many as 192 camps will be cut off from water and sanitation support by September 2024, and 50% of all functional health facilities in northwest Syria will fully or partially cease operations by December 2024. Funding for Syria is more crucial than ever.
*name changed to protect the identity of the respective person.