Following last week’s conference in London where governments pledged significant sums to scale up the Syrian humanitarian response, CEO and Secretary General of CARE International, Dr Wolfgang Jamann, outlines how this money could best be spent, and why.
36 year old Sana makes the scenic drive up winding mountain roads to nearby olives groves on a daily basis. But she’s not appreciating the view. Sana is hidden behind blacked out window in a crammed mini bus, and the sun hasn’t even risen yet.
45 year old Basema lives in Azraq Camp with her two sons. The other two sons and her husband are in Germany and Turkey.
47 year old Badriya is left in Jordan with her 7 children after her husband went to Europe this summer. Badriya has received an emergency cash assistance of US$ 183 from CARE, in addition to participating in CARE’s community center’s psychosocial activities in Zarqa city, Jordan.
34 year old Maysa’a’s husband left for Germany while her parents are far away in Egypt. She is too scared to go out alone so her only regular human contact is with her neighbour.
Syrian refugees tell their stories in their own words.
“We were lucky not to lose Yaman*,” says Mayyada* of her eldest son. “He was taking care of his grandfather when a bomb fell next to the room where he had just stepped, destroying the ceiling and walls next door. It was a matter of seconds. Until today, every time we hear fireworks we’re petrified.”
“We fled our home because we had nothing left.” Shifaa’, 46, remembers only too well her family’s experience of the Syrian conflict in their hometown near Dar’a, in southern Syria.
I can only hope the situation will not be as bad as last year. Last winter, it was freezing cold. Even the weather did not have mercy with us. Every few days, we faced another winter storm. Each time, when we felt the roughest weather had past, a new storm would rise. Temperatures dropped well below freezing, prices for fuel and firewood were constantly increasing and most people could not afford heating materials.
In FY2023, CARE worked around the world, contributing to saving lives, fighting poverty, and increasing social justice.
