A decade of sorrow in Syria: Showing refugee families they’re not alone

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Syrian conflict, which has claimed more than half a million lives and forced more than 12 million people from their homes. Even though the Syrian crisis no longer makes our front pages, many families are still being affected by this devastating humanitarian crisis.  

They are people like Heba*. Eight years ago, she escaped the war in Syria by fleeing to Jordan, where she still lives today with her husband and their four children.

Life is hard in Jordan for refugees like Heba and her family. The vast majority live in cities and towns instead of camps, which means they must find a way to pay for things like rent and transportation. But only a limited number of them have work permits, so most of these families still rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs.

Ten years of shooting and bombing in Syria have forced more than half of the country’s population to flee their homes, including 5.6 million refugees who are seeking safety in neighbouring countries and another 6.6 million who are internally displaced inside Syria.

The economic crisis unfolding as a result of coronavirus has made a desperate situation even worse.  The impact of lockdowns, loss of livelihoods, price increases and ongoing disruption to aid brought about by the pandemic makes it even more difficult for refugees to survive and is pushing many more towards devastating hunger.

“I hope for a better life, for a better future than this”, Heba says.

Thanks to supporters like you, our partner on the ground in Jordan, Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR), is ensuring that some of the most vulnerable refugee families in Jordan can access the vital support that they need and deserve.  DSPR has been working with Palestinian refugees since 1949, so they understand the suffering that people go through when they’re forced to flee their homes and rebuild their lives.

Through your generous gifts, they’re making sure that vulnerable refugees like Heba are now able to access food, health care, and other kinds of support; meaning they can live with increased safety, justice and dignity after enduring so much for so long.  

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