Syria Refugee Crisis

Zahida and her children fled their family home in Syria when their street came under attack.

Their neighbourhood was destroyed and they fled to a refugee camp across the border in Jordan. Zahida is now focused on survival and giving her children a future.
Photo: ©UNHCR/Houssam Hariri

Families like Zahida’s are trapped in extreme poverty, exhausted and traumatised by ten long years of conflict.
Please help deliver relief to support them.

Shelter

to help protect families fleeing bombs and bullets

Cash Assistance

to help families cover basic survival costs like rent and medicine

Education

to keep children in school

What’s happening in Syria?

Daily horrors, devastation and upheavals at an unimaginable scale makes Syria the largest humanitarian emergency of our era.

After over a decade of crisis, life is harder than ever for displaced Syrians. Millions of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes since 2011, seeking safety as refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and beyond, or displaced inside Syria.

UNHCR is leading a coordinated effort across the region to protect Syrians who have been forced to flee. This includes emergency relief and shelter for those escaping escalations in the conflict, and ongoing care such as education and healthcare.

Where are most refugees currently living?

Turkey hosts the largest number of registered Syrian refugees—currently 3.6 million people. Neighbouring countries like Lebanon and Jordan have also seen a vast influx, as well as Egypt. Most displaced Syrian families are scattered across urban areas, struggling to survive. Many others have now been living in formal refugee camps for several years.

In Lebanon, life is a daily struggle for more than a million Syrian refugees, who have little or no financial resources. Nine out of ten Syrian refugees live in extreme poverty. There are no formal refugee camps and, as a result, Syrians are scattered throughout urban and rural communities and locations, often sharing small basic lodgings with other refugee families in overcrowded conditions.

Why can’t more people return home?

With the war ongoing and bombs still falling, it’s very dangerous for families in Syria. Millions have lost their homes, communities and loved ones, so are often unwilling—or unable—to risk the journey back. In some areas, conflict has abated, but returns are not yet possible as buildings and utilities have been completely destroyed, and threats such as mines need to be cleared.

Why do we need public support?

After years of conflict, many Syrians have long exhausted any precious savings they were able to take with them when fleeing. They are now trapped in extreme poverty. With more than 14.6 million Syrians displaced, public support has never been more vital. Every donation helps a Syrian refugee survive, recover and take steps to rebuild their lives until they can return home safely.

Where is UNHCR on the ground?

We are working inside Syria and in neighbouring countries across the region—delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to displaced families and supporting the efforts of host countries.

We provide life-saving humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees, helping the most vulnerable with cash for medicine and food, stoves and fuel for heating, insulation for tents, thermal blankets and winter clothing. For those who have been displaced but remain in Syria, we provide shelter kits and non-food items as well as protection services and psychosocial support.

Where can I access the latest data and reports?

Syrian Operations—for latest on UNHCR’s relief work to protect displaced people inside Syria.

Syria Situation Portal—for latest updates on the crisis overall, including UNHCR situation reports, funding requirements and UNHCR’s support for neighbouring countries taking in refugees from Syrian refugees.

Did you know 1 in 3 Syrian children have lived their whole lives amidst the crisis?

Mariam and her children fled their home when airstrikes destroyed their neighbourhood.

Her eldest son, Mohammad, was gravely injured during the shelling and paralysed. The family lost everything they owned and are now refugees in Jordan.

Support from UNHCR donors is funding survival cash assistance, which helps Mariam cover basics such as rent, food and school materials for her younger children.

Photo: ©UNHCR/Hannah Maule-ffinch

Donate Today
Please help Syrian refugee families in need.

Donate Today
Please help Syrian refugee families in need.

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