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Help one million refugee children in Syria Crisis

2013-08-23

Boys play on a destroyed army tank, in the town of Azaz in the north-western Aleppo Governorate. By late September 2012 in Syria, escalating war continues to take its toll on children and their families. Some 2.5 million people have been affected, of which 1.2 million half of them children have been displaced. Deaths, including of children and women, are estimated at 19,000. Syrians have also fled to neighboring Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey; more than 226,700 have registered with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), while over 75,000 are awaiting registration. UNICEF continues working with diverse governments, other United Nations organizations and local and international NGOs to respond to the needs of affected children both in and outside Syria. UNICEF also supports initiatives in education, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, nutrition and child protection, including the provision of child-friendly spaces and psychosocial assistance for children traumatized by their experiences in relation to the conflict. To fund this work, UNICEF has requested US$123 million, of which less than 25 per cent has been received to date.

With Syria’s war well into its third year, the one millionth refugee child appeared today, signifying a million of Syrian children have been forced to flee their homeland as refugees.

After the outeak of Syrian civil war, 5 million people are affected and 1.88 million of them are forced to become refugees, in which half are children. Latest figures show that more than 740,000 Syrian child refugees are even under the age of 11.

This year alone, UNICEF has provided nearly 167,000 children with psychosocial assistance and more than 118,000 children with education, ensuring their rights to education are not deprived by the conflict.

The crisis is not yet over. Watch Aya's story - A real story in a million:

Aya (Left), an 8 years-old cheerful girl, fled from Syria to Lebanon two years ago.

Coming to an unfamiliar territory, the family of nine lived in a narrow temporary shelter. Although they received monthly food stamps, the food amount could only meet the demand for more than half month.

When Aya’s elder other and sister worked in fields, earning HK$31.2 a day (US$4), she had to take care of her 11-year-old elder sister, Libaba, who suffered from Down's syndrome. Aya taught her elder sister how to bath, wear clothes and eat, showing great care over her. They became the best friend of each other.

Although Aya’s elder others and sisters got opportunities to receive education, Aya was out of school because of wars. The family could not afford the transportation fee of Aya to school as well. Therefore, studious Aya would ask questions when her sisters came back from school. Aya hoped to be a paediatrician in the future and to cure poor children at no charge.

UNICEF supports local NGO partners in providing psychological interventions, speech therapy and physiotherapy in a child-friendly centre for Syrian children and their families.

Donate NOW to help the children of Syria

A health worker vaccinates a girl against measles, during the UNICEF-supported immunization campaign, in a mobile hospital in Zaatari, a tented camp for Syrian refugees. The camp, which presently hosts over 27,000 refugees, is located on the outskirts of Mafraq, capital of the northern Mafraq Governorate. By mid-September 2012, Jordan was hosting 86,940 refugees from Syrias escalating war. Syrians have also fled to nearby Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey, inging the total number of refugees to over 260,500. Inside Syria, some 2.5 million people have been affected by the conflict, of which 1.2 million half of them children are displaced. Deaths, including of children and women, have surpassed 18,000. In Jordan, the number of refugees continues to increase. On 11 September, UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, in coordination with the World Health Organization and other partners, launched a large-scale polio and measles vaccination campaign targeting over 100,000 children staying in the Zaatari refugee camp, nearby transit centres and in host communities. UNICEF continues working with diverse governments, other United Nations organizations and local and international NGOs to respond to the needs of affected children in all host countries and inside Syria. UNICEF also supports initiatives in education, water, sanitation and hygiene and child protection, including the provision of child-friendly spaces and psychosocial assistance for children traumatized by their experiences in relation to the conflict. To fund this work, UNICEF has requested US$65 million, of which only 38 per cent has been received to date.

Children wash clothes, in Zaatari, a tented camp for Syrian refugees, on the outskirts of Mafraq, capital of the northern Mafraq Governorate. UNICEF assistance in the camp includes the provision of safe drinking water and the installation of permanent latrines, bathing facilities, wash basins, as well as mobile units containing these amenities. UNICEF also supports a child-friendly space, run by Save the Children. By late July 2012, Jordan was hosting 37,380 refugees from Syrias escalating war. Syrians have also fled to nearby Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey, inging the total number of refugees to over 120,000 half of them children. Inside Syria, an estimated 1.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Deaths, including of children and women, have surpassed 17,000. In Jordan, the number of refugees continues to increase, straining already limited resources in crowded accommodation facilities. Four transit sites in northern parts of the country are hosting nearly 5,200 refugees, though their intended capacity is less than half that. Zaatari, a UNICEF-assisted tented camp, has been newly built to accommodate over 100,000 refugees. UNICEF is working with diverse governments, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and local and international NGOs to respond to the needs of affected children in Jordan, other host countries and inside Syria. UNICEF also supports initiatives in education, water, sanitation and hygiene and child protection, including psychosocial assistance for children traumatized by their experiences in relation to the conflict. To fund this work, UNICEF has requested US$39.2 million, of which only 30 per cent has been received to date.

In late January, a boy receives first aid after being shot in the foot by a sniper, in a town affected by the conflict. In January and Feuary 2012 in Syria, children found themselves in the midst of a growing conflict between rebel and government forces. By mid-March, violence had claimed the lives of more than 500 children and 244 women. By late March, the year-long conflict had killed 9,000 people and wounded many others. An estimated 1.7 million people have been affected by the violence, which has extended into at least half of the countrys 14 governorates. Education and health services have also been disrupted. Some 150,000200,000 people have been internally displaced. An estimated 30,000 refugees half of them children have fled to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. While most have registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), others have not, fearing possible retaliation against them or family members remaining in Syria. Many refugees in Lebanon and Jordan are being hosted by local families, who also require assistance. UNICEF is participating in an inter-agency assessment of needs in conflict-affected parts of Syria and has requested US$7.4 million to with governments, UNHCR and local and international NGOs address the needs of an anticipated total of 40,000 refugee children, including those staying with host families, in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, over the next six months. Support includes psychosocial assistance for children traumatized by the conflict to which they have been subjected or borne witness.