Syrian Children in Crisis
A Children's Crisis in Syria
For the children of Syria, the politics of their country’s brutal civil war have no meaning.
They have lost their homes and friends. They have lost their schools. They have lost access to basic services from water to health care.
For the last two years, UNICEF has been there for Syria’s children—trying, as always, to ensure that children's futures are not destroyed by grown-up conflicts.
Syrian Children Deserve a Childhood
What’s happening to the children of Syria isn’t about politics. It’s about whether—when the fighting finally ends—these children will be healthy enough, well-educated enough, strong enough, to rebuild their lives.
Right now, they need our help. The unrelenting violence is affecting more than 3.8 million children in Syria and across the region. But the world isn’t responding as it has when other children have been put at risk. UNICEF is, literally, running out of funds.
Without your help, this is what will happen to Syrian children within the next several months:
- 2 million children inside Syrian borders will not receive lifesaving vaccinations. 180,000 will not receive critical medical care from mobile health teams.
- 60,000 people will run out of drinking water in Jordan's Za'atari camp for Syrian refugees.
- Tens of thousands of children in seven refugee camps in Turkey will be unable to continue school.
- 50,000 children in Lebanon will not get the psychological support that can help them come to terms with the violence they have experienced.
- 30,000 refugees in Iraq will not get access to safe drinking water and hygiene services.
Learn more about the Syria crisis on our FAQ page.
Syria Stories
May 21, 2013
UNICEF Concerned About Reports of Children Trapped in Qusayr
UNICEF is extremely concerned about the safety of civilians in the embattled city of Qusayr in Syria and fears that thousands of children and women could be trapped there by fighting. Heavy clashes have been reported in Qusayr, a city near the Lebanese border, with a population of some 30,000. Between 12,000 and 20,000 people, many of them children, are thought to still be inside the city.
May 14, 2013
Syrian Refugee Children Find Hope in Jordan's Schools
Some 450,000 Syrians have taken refuge in Jordan, with 75 percent of them staying in urban communities. In areas where Syrian families are concentrated, Jordanian schools run double shifts to accommodate the massive numbers of Syrian children desperate to continue their education. Some have been out of school for a year or longer, and being able to continue to study is key to the futures of these children. For many, it is a sign of hope. UNICEF is currently supporting the schooling of over 31,000 Syrian children in host communities in Jordan.
May 6, 2013
Statement on Syria by Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa
“UNICEF is appalled and outraged by the latest reported killings in Al Bayda and Baniyas. Reports say that on May 2 and 3, dozens of people, including women and children, were killed in the two towns. These latest deaths serve as another reminder that it is innocent civilians, especially children, who continue to pay the heaviest cost of the carnage in Syria."
