»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ

After nearly 14 years of conflict and subsequent economic crises, Syria is on the cusp of transition. However, for children in Syria, needs have never been higher.Ìý

Since the escalation of violence on November 28, 2024, approximately one million people have been displaced internally. Those who have been displaced are in urgent need of food, shelter and other basic services, as well as psychosocial support to deal with the long lasting trauma.Ìý

Conflict has also damaged civilian infrastructure, with hospitals and health facilities damaged and stretched to capacity.

ÌýEducation is also at risk for many children. Schools are being used as collective shelters, disrupting education for nearly 185,000 students.Ìý

With nearly 2.4 million children already out of school across the country, and in the middle of the school year, this interruption is a major concern and exposes children to the risk of abuse and exploitation.

The conflict in Syria hasÌýdevastated the lives of a generation of young people.

Many children have lost relatives to death, detainment, or disappearance, leaving Syrian orphans separated from their families in the brutal chaos of war.

More than a year after the devastating earthquakes, children across northern Syria are once again facing severe levels of violence.Ìý

Children have experiencedÌýpsychological distress because of violence and instability, being separated from their parents or seeing their lovedÌýones killed, onlyÌýfurther compounded by the earthquakes.Ìý

Now, in 2024, 16.7 million people are in need of assistance- the highest number since the beginning of the crisis- 45% of them children.

So many children in Syria have missed years of education. There wereÌý2.4 millionÌýchildren in Syria out of school before the earthquakes.

In Syria, children have faced repeated risks ofÌýbombardment, displacement, death, destruction, illness and hunger over the last 13+ years, which has had a hugeÌýimpact on theirÌýmental health.

Since the earthquakes, children have been exposed to further life-threateningÌýevents, suffering life-changing injuries, lost family members and friends, and seen their homes and schoolsÌýdestroyed overnight. In these conditions, children and their caregivers need crucial psychosocial support to avoid long-term repercussions on a child’s health, wellbeing and development for months or even years to come.

Children's mental wellbeing is being pushed to the limits.

The Syrian Pound exchange rate has undergone aÌýmore than 70-fold depreciation since the onset of hostilities inÌý2011.ÌýThis decline has accelerated since late 2019, after the start of ³¢±ð²ú²¹²Ô´Ç²Ô’s currency crisis.Ìý

The devaluation is felt by communities and families who haveÌýwitnessed additional increases in the prices of basic commodities, including food, water and fuel.ÌýThe crisis inÌýUkraineÌýhas upended the markets for food and energy, contributing to the falling ofÌýstandards of living.

The economic impact of the earthquakes that ripped through southernÌý°Õü°ù°ì¾±²â±ðÌýand northern SyriaÌýthreatens to push at least another 665,000 Syrians into hunger, with doctors and aid agencies warning that levels of child stunting and maternal malnutrition are reaching levels never seen before.

The number of Syrians acutely food insecure and facing hunger had already reached 12.1 million people—more than half the population—before the first devastating earthquake hit in the early hours of February 6.

As part of the earthquake response, »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵis delivering aid through partners, responding in Idlib and Aleppo governorates, and providing emergency food rations, blankets, tents, and warm clothing. »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵis also making sure children and their families can keep clean, healthy, and protected from illness and diseases, as well as providing protection services, including psychosocial support.

»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵhas been providing assistance to children in need in Syria since 2012 through local partners and directly.

»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵprogramming combines emergency and life-saving interventions with early recovery activities that support the restoration of basic services, and aims to reach every last child in need, with a particular focus on the most marginalized children and their families.

Our goal is to ensure that every child in Syria survives, learns and is protected.Ìý

Today, alongside local partners, we are scaling up our response to once again meet the needs of those who have been uprooted by violence. A scale up in funding is urgently needed to deliver lifesaving aid across Syria.

»ÆÉ«ÊÓƵhas worked in the Middle East since 1919. Our work has focused on helping families forced from their homes by conflict and advocating for children's rights.

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ByÌýjoining Team Tomorrow as a monthly donor, your continued support can help make a major difference in the lives and communities of children around the world, including those growing up in conflict zones.