Scale of the Crisis
The conflict in
Syria is now in its sixth year, leading to one of the most serious and daunting humanitarian crises in decades. With limited prospects for an immediate end of the conflict, Syrians are growing increasingly vulnerable as their savings are exhausted and their assets are liquidated.
The situation does not get easier for those affected over time – it gets worse.
Constant, deadly conflict is destroying lives, families, and communities. Half the country’s population is now dependent on humanitarian assistance. Since the start of the conflict in 2011, more than 250,000 people have been killed and one million wounded. Over 13.5 million people need urgent help inside Syria, including more than five million children.
Eight million people are also displaced within Syria while close to five million people have fled Syria and sought safety and refuge in other countries, in particular Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan.
This refugee crisis stretches well beyond the Middle East with European nations in particular struggling to cope with the influx of tens of thousands of desperate and vulnerable children, women, and men –from Syria and elsewhere.
The Canadian Red Cross is responding to this humanitarian crisis with two specific appeals:
The Syria Crisis Fund:
Funds raised will go to support emergency efforts by the Red Cross Movement. This may include relief items (for example, blankets, sleeping mats, food parcels and hygiene items), medical supplies, equipment and deploying emergency personnel. This fund will cover numerous countries, including those currently affected, and those potentially affected in the future.
The Refugee Crisis Fund:
Donations to the Refugee Crisis Fund aid those who have left Syria and are seeking refuge and protection in other countries. These include some four million refugees and asylum seekers in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq among other countries neighbouring Syria, as well as those who have recently arrived in Europe and elsewhere.