Provide Relief for Syrian Refugees

The Syrian conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time.

Since 2011, over half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22 million has been forced to flee their homes in search of safety and opportunity, many of them more than once. Families still living in Syria are struggling to survive and meet their basic needs: 16.7 million people are expected to need humanitarian assistance in 2024, including 7 million who are still internally displaced.

When did the crisis in Syria start?

Anti-government demonstrations began in March of 2011, as part of the Arab Spring. But the peaceful protests quickly escalated after the government's violent crackdown, and armed opposition groups began fighting back.

By July of 2011, army defectors had loosely organized the Free Syrian Army and many civilian Syrians took up arms to join the opposition. Now, a decade later, divisions between armed groups and between ethnic groups continue to complicate the politics of the conflict.

With no lasting peace in sight, Mercy Corps and other humanitarian organizations are struggling just to keep up with rapidly growing needs. U.N. appeals have been significantly underfunded every single year since the start of the Syrian crisis.

Our impact

We are supporting Syrian communities in both Syria and neighboring countries so they can move beyond survival mode, become more self-reliant, and have opportunities to earn an income. Our work in Syria is focused around the following priority areas:

Meeting immediate needs and improving coping mechanisms

When families flee from violence, we work to help them find safe places to stay, and provide them with household basics like blankets and pots for cooking. For many, this is not the first time they have had to leave their home, and each time they are forced to leave things behind and rely on less to start over. Whenever possible, we purchase goods locally in order to support the local economy in Syria. Often goods are available, but people simply don’t have the money to afford them.

We also support people displaced to camps, informal settlements, and communities with water trucking, desludging and garbage collection to help them stay healthy.

Increasing economic opportunities

Whenever possible, we work to provide people with the means to support themselves and their families. We work with farmers to increase their yields, and with young people to teach them new skills, depending on what the demand is in the areas where they live. We also support small businesses with skills training and cash grants, so they can not only survive but grow and hire more people from the local community.

Addressing root causes and drivers of conflict

We are partnering with communities to address immediate and underlying causes of tensions. We work with community members, civil society, and key decision makers to utilize approaches in reconciliation and civic participation. Together, they work to strengthen formal and informal processes that have previously perpetuated inequalities and negatively affected community wellbeing.

Ten long years into the war in Syria, the country is undoubtedly one marred by conflict. Makeshift bunkers, military checkpoints and collapsed bridges and buildings dot the landscape. So do white displacement tents. Competing armed groups and geopolitical forces fumble for power and resolution as clashes continue across the country, and uprooted families attempt to forge homes in deserted mosques and schools. 

More than 12 million Syrians are displaced, and 15 million people within Syria are in need.  

The consequences of this crisis are truly staggering. Yet, among these devastating statistics is one encouraging number that cannot be overlooked: 22 million, the number of Syrians still living in the country, each a powerful source of potential to chart a better path forward for themselves and their communities. As external powers grapple to reach a political solution, it’s this population, including many of Mercy Corps’ own team members, who face the day-to-day reality of the conflict — and persist with their lives and hope for a future despite it. 

Mercy Corps has worked alongside these communities since the start of the crisis, consistently one of the largest aid groups supporting those affected to access food, water and shelter and restore stability where possible. As the war draws on, we’re still dedicated to our response. And looking ahead to the next 10 years, we’re reinforcing our commitment to the country’s biggest asset for progress: its people. 

Looking ahead: Our 3 objectives to strengthen Syrian communities

After a decade of despair and destruction and a stagnant peace process, we must continue affecting positive change and recovery. Having witnessed the resilience of Syria’s people to persevere with strength and hope in the face of overwhelming circumstances, we believe the promise of a more stable, prosperous future is rooted largely in them. 

Our pledge going forward is to bolster this potential, focusing on three objectives that support the Syrian people to claim ownership of their survival and recovery and create more stable communities — from the ground up. 

1. Meet immediate needs

The violence and displacement across Syria have cut millions off from their livelihoods and homes, in many cases more than once, crippling their ability to earn a stable income and meet their basic household needs. Additionally, damage to public services and infrastructure has left people in need of water and sanitation support and millions without adequate shelter.

Currently, 90% of the population lives below the poverty line, and the deterioration of the agriculture industry and economy has fueled an unprecedented hunger crisis.

In this context, our work will — and must — continue to ensure people have the basic resources they need to survive. Only when their primary needs are met can we help Syrians make genuine strides toward recovery. This support opens the door for people to focus on longer-term needs, like re-establishing income sources, instead of where their family’s next meal is coming from.

From early in the crisis we’ve provided emergency supplies like water, food and shelter to the most vulnerable, and where need continues to be immediate, such as in displacement sites, in-kind aid of these essentials will remain a necessary part of our response.

2. Increase economic independence 

Many of potential workers without access to employment and the economy in crisis, enabling more people to work and meet their needs is critical to boosting overall stability and decreasing reliance on aid. With this in mind, Mercy Corps’ emergency assistance, where possible, will be coupled or replaced with restoring opportunities to earn income, particularly in the agriculture sector, which remains a key industry and has potential to put many people back to work.With rampant hunger, skyrocketing food prices and millions out of work, it’s more important than ever that we partner with local farmers to ensure they have what they need today and for successful ongoing harvests. Getting the agriculture industry — and others — back up and running is one of the most direct and widespread ways we can help Syrians overcome the current food and economic crises and increase resilience for the future.In northeast Syria, we’ve already started by providing farmers with training and agricultural supplies, like seeds and irrigation equipment, to establish sustainable sources of crops. Active and productive gardens drive independence and well-being, both by improving access to food and generating income.  

Our research shows supporting people to earn a living during conflict offers more and better prospects for survival and recovery — and even a sluggish economy, battered by war, comes with openings to do so. Across the country, we also offer grants for displaced Syrians to start new, demand-driven businesses in their places of refuge; teach young people new and marketable skills; and strengthen local industry by linking buyers and sellers and connecting small businesses to microfinance options.

3. Foster community peacebuilding 

Ten years of violence and instability — and the fear that comes with it — has inevitably taken its toll on Syria’s social fabric. Traditional systems for conflict resolution have deteriorated and trust in public institutions is low, leaving Syrians more likely to rely on their immediate communities for protection and settling disputes. But a productive path forward hinges on Syria’s people charting the course together. Community peacebuilding can begin even in the midst of conflict. It can improve feelings of trust and security and create an environment in which peace can prosper. We’ve seen community peacebuilding reduce tension around the world, including between Syrian refugees and host communities, where community-led projects like playgrounds and gyms encourage cooperation and a mutual sense of belonging.

We see a tomorrow in Syria in which local collaboration is driving equity, creating opportunity and advancing recovery. A healthy, harmonious community will always be able to achieve more than one individual can accomplish alone.While a formal peace deal for the Syria crisis remains elusive, we needn’t wait to make progress on the ground. Together with local partners, we’ve started a new peacebuilding initiative to restore social trust and foster grassroots stability. With community workshops, dialogue sessions and joint civic projects, we will support Syrians to work together to strengthen their communities and forge ahead with a shared vision for the future.

We know moving beyond the crisis in Syria will be an arduous task, but we have 17 million reasons to remain hopeful and committed. In 10 exhausting years of war, Syria’s people have not given up the belief that a better future lies ahead. And we won’t give up on them. For as long as it takes, we’ll invest in the path we see in front of us — the one that begins on the ground, with Syrian people at the heart of it.

Links:

• Learn more at mercycorps.org