The work of Terre des Hommes in SYRIA

In this country torn by 11 years of war, it is estimated that nearly 14.5 million people – including 6.2 million children – need humanitarian aid to survive. There are many refugees: 5.6 million have left Syria, and nearly 7 million have had to move within the country to escape violence.

The conflict has destroyed thousands of schools and nearly half of the country’s hospitals, as well as many healthcare and sanitation facilities. The lack of clean water has facilitated the spread of serious diseases, including cholera and the Coronavirus. On top of this critical situation, an economic crisis is worsening, hitting families harder and harder, with terrible repercussions for children. Child labor and early marriages are on the rise, as well as malnutrition. Additionally, due to the conflict, many people, including children, have developed one or more disabilities. It is estimated that there are nearly 4 million people with disabilities in Syria, who require special assistance.

Terre des Hommes has been present in Syria since 2008, alongside the most vulnerable. We operate in Aleppo, Al Hasakah, Rural Damascus, and Daraa.

HOW DO WE HELP THE VICTIMS OF THE SYRIAN CONFLICT?

• We are rehabilitating classrooms and toilets in many damaged schools. We are improving the quality of teaching in schools to make them more inclusive for children with special needs in collaboration with the Syrian Ministry of Education. We distribute school kits to the most disadvantaged children.
• To support people with disabilities, including many children and adolescents, we organize physiotherapy sessions, provide prosthetics, special equipment, and psychosocial support. We adapt the architectural structures of schools and homes to their needs. For the most vulnerable families, we offer cash contributions to continue the education of children with disabilities and vouchers for purchasing food.
• We are assisting children under 5 years old and pregnant women who suffer from malnutrition or other illnesses by providing medical support and distributing nutritional supplements, baby kits, and food vouchers. We promote breastfeeding and offer a counseling service for mothers in need.
• We have opened safe spaces for children where they can play and engage in recreational and educational activities in complete safety, aimed at helping them regain a sense of normalcy and process trauma. The staff present are specialized in providing psychosocial support to both the children and their parents.
• Abbiamo distribuito dispositivi di protezione per l’emergenza Covid e fatto campagne di sensibilizzazione per la prevenzione del contagio.
• We have distributed emergency Covid protection devices and conducted awareness campaigns for the prevention of contagion.

Among our major donors are the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Dutch Relief Alliance, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). We collaborate with the Red Crescent.