Islamic Relief has been responding to the crisis since 2011 and the situation is not getting any better. Over 400,000 civilians have died, 13.5 million need humanitarian aid, 6.5 million people face acute food insecurity, 1/3 of all schools are unable to provide education and 5.3 million people live in shelters without any cooking, heating, or washing facilities.
Our latest annual report from Syria shows that last year alone Islamic Relief supported more than 3 million people across Syria and neighbouring countries Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. With the conflict now in its seventh year, more than half of the Syrian population have fled their homes with 13.5 million people in desperate need of humanitarian support.
Islamic Relief has been working on supporting people affected by the Syria crisis in various sectors, epending on the needs on the ground and humanitarian access. The intervention varies from one country to another based on the needs assessment received from the field.
The document contains two main parts: the first reflects on the context in terms of key humanitarian and developmental challenges in the region; and the second presents the strategic direction for the period 2017-2021.
In 2014, we provided life-saving assistance, basic services, education support, and capacity building activities to support Syrians made vulnerable by the ongoing crisis. Islamic Relief intends to continue providing support for Syrians in 2015. The Syria emergency response includes not only providing humanitarian assistance for Syrians in Syria and neighbouring countries but also providing support to the affected host communities.
Three years of conflict, insecurity, and instability in almost all parts of Syria have resulted in a critical humanitarian crisis. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, has described the Syrian conflict as “the worst humanitarian disaster since the end of the cold war”. The escalation of conflict across Syria has badly affected the country’s infrastructure. Schools, hospitals, roads, power stations, and water supplies have been destroyed.