Source: World Vision
Fifteen years since civil war erupted in Syria (March 15, 2011), and more than a year since the fall of the Assad regime, Syrian children are once again trapped in a crisis of conflict and displacement.
In the past month as conflict across the Middle East has erupted, more than 70,000 Syrians have fled Lebanon to return to their home country.
World Vision Country Programme Manager Ritam Bhattarai says many of those fleeing Lebanon have already experienced years of war, displacement, hunger, and insecurity.
“Children and families had found some semblance of safety in Lebanon, but renewed airstrikes, missile and rocket fire, and hostilities mean children are at risk and desperate families are on the move again.
“Many of these children have only ever known life as a refugee and to be faced with yet another round of violence and displacement is actually unbearable,” she says.
Families fleeing Lebanon to return to Syria may be escaping violence, but they will face yet more challenges upon the return to Syria.
More than half the country’s population is in need of humanitarian assistance, including 7.5 million Syrian children.
Bhattarai says children and families are in desperate need of emergency food supplies, clean water, healthcare, and psychological support.
“One of the most devastating impacts of the prolonged war is the impact on children’s mental health. Many Syrian children are only just surviving, and they carry deep emotional and psychological wounds. Without urgent intervention, we risk losing an entire generation to the long-term effects of trauma and despair,” she says.
Bhattarai says children living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions in Syria have little to no access to specialised mental health and psychosocial support.
Furthermore, she says many children are missing out on the benefits of education for learning, development, and future opportunities. Around two million Syrian children do not attend school.
Bhattarai says World Vision New Zealand is calling on the New Zealand government to better support Syria by investing in expanded food assistance and resilience programmes and helping to fund long-term recovery and reconstruction, not simply support with emergency aid.
World Vision has been working in Syria since 2011 and with its partners has supported millions of children with emergency food, clean water, education support, and mental health and psychosocial care.
New Zealanders wanting to support children in Syria, can give here: https://www.worldvision.org.nz/give-now/childhood-rescue/syria/
