Syria crisis appeal

The crisis in Syria, now in its eighth year, continues to cause tremendous human suffering both within Syria and in neighbouring countries. More than six years after the beginning of the crisis in Syria, the scale of the humanitarian need continues to grow both within Syria and in neighbouring countries. More than 400,000 people have been killed and schools, hospitals and homes have been destroyed. While in many parts of Syria the fighting has stopped, and hundreds of thousands of people have returned home, more than 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

More than 12 million people have fled their homes including more than 5 million people who have fled to neighbouring countries including Jordan and Lebanon. Almost three-quarters of these refugees are women and children.

Millions of people both inside Syria and across the region are almost entirely dependent on aid, but the scale of need is outstripping the current capacity of humanitarian agencies to respond. The situation will continue to deteriorate unless increased funds for the humanitarian response are found.

This is a human crisis of staggering proportions requiring continued support from the international community. Even if the fighting were to end tomorrow, the Syrian people need long-term support to rebuild and recover from this crisis. This includes support to safe and secure places to live and job opportunities, so they can provide for their families and live in dignity.

What Oxfam is doing

Oxfam is on the ground in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan providing desperately needed emergency assistance. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and the Australian Government, we’ve already reached more than 1.5 million people with clean drinking water, hygiene and sanitation programs, as well cash and relief supplies such as blankets and stoves in winter and vouchers for hygiene supplies in summer.

We are also helping refugee families get the information they need about their legal and human rights and connecting them to medical, legal and support services.

In Jordan, we’re working in Za’atari refugee camp, providing people with access to water and sanitation, and preventing the spread of life-threatening diseases through hygiene training. We’re building a massive water supply system, including a water main linked to individual households. This is the biggest water network ever built in a refugee camp. Outside Za’atari, we’re providing some cash support to vulnerable refugees living in informal settlements — mainly tents — as well as hygiene products and water filters to ensure people have safe water to drink
In Lebanon, we are providing vulnerable families with cash and vouchers to help them afford safe housing and basic needs for their families. We’re also distributing hygiene kits, constructing latrines and saving lives with access to safe sources of drinking water.
In Syria, Oxfam has provided clean drinking water to over 1.5 million people affected by the conflict. We have brought two water treatment plants back on-line using multiple truck-sized generators, capable of continuously pumping more than 700,000 extra liters of water per hour – enough to deliver safe water to around 500,000 people. We continue to scale up our program within the country.

Helping the millions of survivors of this terrible conflict is absolutely vital but not enough. What is needed is peace. Around the world, we have been campaigning and advocating for a sustainable, inclusive, political solution to the conflict.