Help Strengthen the Resilience of Syrian Refugees

Since the Syrian crisis erupted in 2011 after the onset of the civil war, the conditions for refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) have remained profoundly challenging.Years of ongoing conflict in Syria has caused the collapse of infrastructure, interrupted education, heightened vulnerability to natural disasters and disease, and driven mass displacement. Amid a global landscape inundated with crises, the Syrian crisis often slips from the headlines, yet they continue to represent the largest refugee and internally displaced population globally in 2024. 

The situation took a devastating turn in February 2023, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck parts of Syria and Türkiye, further compounding the vulnerabilities.Concern Worldwide teams in Türkiye and Syria, who have been responding to the crisis since 2013, were able to mobilize an emergency response within hours of the earthquakes and continue to support communities with long-term recovery efforts.  

In 2024, here is what you need to know:  

• 15.3 million Syrians still in the country—85% of the population—require humanitarian assistance, including 6.5 million children 
• 12.1 million Syrians face food insecurity 
• Crisis-driven inflation rates in Syria are at 90% 
• 85% of families in Syria are unable to meet basic needs 
• Over 2 million Syrian children are out of school 
• 52% of Syrians rely on unsafe alternatives to piped water 
• Only 59% of hospitals in Syria are fully functional 
• 8.8 million Syrians were affected by the February 2023 earthquake, including 3.7 million children 
• 6.49 million Syrians are registered as refugees, including:
      o 3.33 million in Türkiye 
      o 795,000 in Lebanon 
      o  659,000 in Jordan 
      o  263,000 in Iraq

• 7.25 million Syrians are internally displaced 

In the past year, our programs in the country’s northeastern region provided critical support to nearly 290,000 highly vulnerable individuals through food vouchers, temporary employment, and small business grants, among other interventions. We also continue to tackle issues related to safe, affordable, and reliable water access by rehabilitating six water stations and eight water networks, benefiting 204,000 people. Similar efforts in northern Iraq last year improved water access for nearly 117,000 people. 

Our efforts in Türkiye, Lebanon, and Iraq focus on supporting both Syrian refugees and local populations of host communities. In Lebanon, which has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, we’ve responded to the country’s most severe socioeconomic crisis in decades. As part of this response, we implemented a two-year livelihoods program designed to increase employment and income opportunities for the most vulnerable households. This recently completed program successfully enrolled over 2,000 participants. 

Concern has been present in Syria and responding to the crisis since 2013, and our work remains far from over as we continue to address the evolving needs of those affected, striving to build resilience and restore hope in the face of ongoing adversity.