Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, millions of Syrian families have been displaced from their homes. More than 5.7 million refugees have flooded into neighboring Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, often arriving weak and hungry, with nothing more than the clothes on their back. But many millions of Syrians remain within the borders of the country and are living in severe conditions. This brutal conflict has killed hundreds of thousands o people and devastated a nation. Hospitals and schools have been damaged or destroyed.
With your help, IRT is partnering with Save The Syrian Children to provide critical, lifesaving medicines and medical supplies to the hardest-hit areas of Syria. Already, we have sent two 20' shipping containers to Idlib Province, the hub of the current conflict and are sending two more shipments in 2021.
This post on our blog details the stories of two Syrian children whose lives were saved by medicines you provided. Nour and Islam were both injured in airstrikes in Idlib Province, Syria. They received emergency medical care with the supplies you helped provide. Please read their stories!
In addition, we provided support to the most vulnerable Syrian refugees in Lebanon. These refugees live in unsanitary and primitive conditions in small, unregulated camps across the country. Working with our onsite partner, Concern Worldwide, we provided sustainable, sanitary improvements to improve the health of refugees in six of these camps in the Akkar region of Lebanon.
We also supported vulnerable refugees in Turkey, the country where the majority of Syrian refugees have settled. We provided more than 4,000 families with winter supplies, including tarps, thermal blankets, mattresses, waterproof mats, and solar lamps, to help them survive the winter ahead. We also provided funding for an e-voucher program for Syrian refugees in Turkey. Ninety percent of Syrian refugees in Turkey live in local communities in rural and urban areas, with many living in abject poverty. These populations are increasingly vulnerable because they are less likely to become self-sufficient. The e-voucher program allowed refugees to buy basic items including food, hygiene and household items, shoes, clothes and fuel from local stores. This program helped Syrian refugees living in Turkey integrate into Turkish society and live with dignity.