Syrian Refugee Crisis

This winter season has proved to be one of the coldest to hit the region in recent years, leaving response countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Syria with flash-floods due to severe weather conditions. Consequently, events across North West Syria have resulted in a deteriorating humanitarian situation for an already vulnerable population. A combination of increased violence,  severe weather and bad infrastructure has hindered relief efforts, leaving children and families in substandard shelters without assistance in freezing temperatures. This confluence of insecurity and severe weather could very well occur again in the short term with a devastating impact for the civilian population. In Idlib, almost half of the total population of 3 million has been displaced at least once, and the province is home to one of the densest concentrations of internally displaced people in the world, with 317 displacement camps and shelters. 

With parts of Syria experiencing a deteriorating security situation and an ongoing lack of access to basic services, the impact of the extreme cold weather has severely affected the most vulnerable. If a large-scale government offensive happens in Idlib, the resulting displacement would likely see over a million people move towards the Turkish border and further into Aleppo, perhaps concentrating in Afrin and Aza’z. Exacerbating access constraints, with the combination of the severe weather. The Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster and its member agencies are responding in the IDP sites in North West Syria, As of January 15, the CCCM Cluster has reported that 6,218 internally displaced (IDP) families living in sites are affected from the flood, and 4,983 tents are totally damaged or partially affected. 18 CCCM member organisations have reported so far with capacity to distribute 25,799 different items/services to the affected IDPs in 128 IDPs sites. If a full scale ground invasion were to occur at the same time as a severe weather event, these numbers would increase exponentially.

Our Response
World Vision’s Syria Country Office has been responding, directly and through partners, in order to try to support vulnerable children and their families. Our response focuses on shelter and WASH (water, sanitation& hygiene)  and supplementary health support where the needs are highest. In Aza’z we have begun work on sewage extension in order to avoid flood damage in al Haramein camp. We are also running winterisation distributions in this area for IOM. So far we have reached 1,222 people with winterisation kits, and supported the entire population of Al Haramein camp with the sewage extension. Under the FAST project, we are working with IOM to receive winterisation kits for our partner IYD to distribute. Mattresses and blankets have been  distributed in Azaz to support over 2000 families in need. In Idlib, through our ECHO programme, we are providing health support to three severely affected camps, as well as using our mobile and ambulance support for 950 families whose health has been impacted by the cold weather.