Why?
The project seeks to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the current crisis in Syria through supporting the Syrian Arab Red Crescent’s humanitarian response and enhancing its operation capacities. The Red Cross provides aid in food security, shelter and settlements, water, sanitation, and hygiene, health and care, and national society capacity building. In the past four years since the Syria crisis began, humanitarian needs have increased twelvefold, leaving an estimated 12.2 million people in need due to the protracted crisis. Over half of Syria’s population has been forced to leave their homes multiple times, with two-thirds of the population living in extreme poverty. Basic social and health services are overloaded, and there is decreased access to food and water. Widespread violence continues cycles of displacement and endangers both the displaced and the ability to deliver humanitarian aid. Due to the nature of the conflict, the Red Cross operates throughout the country. Specifically, it provides assistance in: Damascus and Rural Damascus, Homs, Deir Zour, Al-Hasakeh, Aleppo, Idleb, Hama, Tartous, and Quneitra.
What?
The Red Cross has reached 600,000 people with food parcels, with aid from the Netherlands Red Cross. Distributing shelter and settlement-related non-food items to reduce displacement vulnerabilities is critical, in 2015 alone 35,000 families have received winterisation support, in which the Netherlands Red Cross is also involved. Over 300,000 people have received hygiene-related items like hygiene kits, and the rehabilitation and construction of water sources has reached 106,000 people. In terms of health, psychosocial, infrastructure, and basic health services support are delivered, 200,000 critically ill patients have been reached with needed medicines. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent is supported through trainings and other capacity-building support.
Who?
The project seeks to provide aid to the most vulnerable populations in the Syrian conflict.