Syrian Refugee Crisis: What’s Happening and How To Help

Why are people fleeing Syria?

Since 2011, civil war and conflict between the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Syrian opposition forces, and ISIS, have resulted in more than 200,000 deaths and have caused more than half of the country’s population of 22 million citizens to flee their homes. The mass displacement of the Syrian people the worst humanitarian crises of our time.

How many people have been displaced?

The UN Refugee Agency estimates that more than 4 million people, half of whom are children, have fled to neighboring countries, and 7.4 million people are displaced internally within Syria. As the crisis worsens to the worst the world has seen in 20+ years, the need for refugee support is becoming more dire.

What are the challenges facing refugees?

In order to escape, many Syrian refugees become victims of smuggling and human trafficking. Seeking safety in neighboring countries, refugees risk their lives traveling on unsafe boats, trains, and trucks.
Thousands of displaced citizens are arriving each day to refugee camps in neighboring countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey. As the number of people fleeing from Syria grows, refugee camps are becoming even more overcrowded and struggling to meet the needs of Syrian Refugees.
Two million children have been affected by the conflict in Syria, making continuing education while displaced extremely difficult. Additionally, refugee camps do not have the space to provide children safe spaces to learn and play.

How are aid organizations responding?

Vetted, high-impact GlobalGiving partners are already supporting Syrian refugees. Their efforts include:

Delivering food and clean water, providing shelters and household essentials to families in need.
Continuing to provide refugees with safe access to lifesaving medical aid, including reproductive health care.
Supporting children whose schooling has been disrupted by the conflict, and setting up safe spaces in refugee camps for children to learn and play.
Providing refugees with psychosocial support to help reduce emotional consequences of traumatic stress and store a sense of hope and normalcy.

How you can help

Donate to GlobalGiving’s Syrian Refugee Relief Fund. You can support the full range of immediate rescue and refugee support work with one donation to the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund. The Syrian Refugee Relief Fund is supporting more than a dozen vetted locally-driven nonprofit organizations committed to providing support to millions of displaced civilians and their families.

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Tell your friends and family. Share the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund on social media to spread the word about the millions of refugees that need support.
Start a fundraiser to support refugees. You can mobilize your friends and family to donate to support Syrian Refugees by using GlobalGiving’s free peer-to-peer fundraising tool.
Choose a project that speaks to you from the list below. GlobalGiving has a number of partners working on the ground to provide support in various ways, from empowering Syrian refugees by sharing their stories to ensuring access to food for families, and you can support any one of them today.

Projects supported by the Syrian Refugee Relief Fund

Child Refugee Crisis

by Save the Children Federation

Today, 27 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict and persecution. At a time when half of the world's refugees are children, our work to help child refugees is more important than ever.

Empower Athens' Displaced people through community

by We Need Books

We Need Books founded Athens' first multilingual library and multicultural space in 2019, in the area of Kypseli, which is home to thousands of refugees and migrants, particularly from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. This project will empower 100 displaced families by providing free education, resources, and opportunities to improve their lives, become more self-sufficient, and find a sense of belonging through community engagement and support.

Shelter and Livelihood for Syrian Refugees in Iraq

by Peace Winds America

Syria's civil war began in 2011, killing hundreds of thousands of people and forcing millions more to flee their homes. More than a decade later, the Syrian refugee crisis remains one of the largest in the world. While many displaced people remain in Syria, 5 million have fled the country, including to the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq. Peace Winds is working to aid the roughly 250,000 Syrian refugees living there through vocational programs and support for those with disabilities.

Let's Help Syrian Refugee Children in Serbia Now!

by Pomoc deci

Over 650,000 refugees from Middle East, mainly from Syria, have entered Serbia over the last 18 months and are still coming in hundreds on daily basis. Amongst them are more than 200,000 children and over 5,000 of them are unaccompanied ones. We are trying to help them stay physically and mentally healthy. Alongside humanitarian aid, we are also trying to develop an online Q&A list for their protection, information and education on how and where they can seek medical, legal and social help.

Help Refugees at Risk in the U.S. and Globally

by International Rescue Committee

The U.S. accepts a limited number of refugees each year, setting record-low admission caps these past few years. Help the IRC deliver critical assistance to families in the U.S. who have fled war or persecution, including education, livelihood training, youth programs, and citizenship assistance to refugees and other vulnerable immigrant populations.

Syrian Refugees Relief Fund

by CUSTOMS HEALTH CARE SOCIETY

Customs Health Care Society, Pakistan(CHCS) has started a relief fund to help the Syrian Refugees living in Turkey.In 2016, the United Nations (UN) identified 13.5 million Syrians requiring humanitarian assistance, of which more than 6 million are internally displaced within Syria, and over 4.8 million are refugees outside of Syria. In January 2017, UNHCR counted 4,863,684 registered refugees. Turkey is the largest host country of registered refugees with over 2.7 million Syrian refugee

Dignity for displaced women and girls in Lebanon

by Developmental Action without Borders/Naba'a

Women and girls displaced by armed conflict suffer most from not having suitable accommodation or access to a bathroom and fresh water. Many live in shared shelters or abandoned buildings without a change of clothing or the means to attend to their hygiene needs. A lack of sanitary pads and clean underwear prevents women and girls from going out and can also cause infections and skin disease. The project will provide clothing and a supply of sanitary pads to restore dignity and well-being.

Help Pregnant Moms Give Birth Safely in Disasters

by USA for UNFPA

For as little as $15 you can help UNFPA, the United Nations reproductive health and right agency, get 3 emergency birth kits, including a bar of soap, clear plastic sheet, razor blade, an umbilical cord tie, cloth and latex gloves into the hands of pregnant mothers and health care workers as they safely deliver babies in crisis situations.

Education Versus Lost Generation!

by Association for Social Development and Aid Mobilization

Today, Turkey is home to the largest refugee population in the world with nearly 4 million refugees coming from over 60 nations. Having a sustainable life in Turkey is the part that you can take action by supporting education not only by encouraging over 1 million refugee children to get enrolled in schools but also continue their education at university. Fight against "lost generation", child labor and marriage and be part of the resilience and empower youth to build their countries' future!

Provide Education for Vulnerable People in Lebanon

by Insan Association

Insan Association provides formal education and professional training, as well as psycho-social support, to marginalized communities in Lebanon. It helps children of refugees and vulnerable Lebanese children who are unable to attend school due to poverty and discrimination, enabling them to experience their childhoods.Insan will assist vulnerable adults in building individual projects to prepare them for the labor market through counseling sessions.

Help Strengthen the Resilience of Syrian Refugees

by Concern Worldwide US

Now in its thirteenth year, the Syrian civil war has sparked one of the greatest humanitarian crises in modern history, uprooting an estimated 14 million Syrians. Since July 2013, Concern Worldwide has worked with displaced persons within Syria and with refugees and vulnerable host families in Lebanon and Turkey to meet basic needs, improve access to health care, and provide psycho-social support.

Empowering 80 people with disabilities in Iraq

by Operation Mercy

Some of the most vulnerable and neglected Syrian refugees and Yezidi IDP's (Internally Displaced People) in Northern Iraq are families who have a family member with a disability. Operation Mercy empowers people with disabilities and their families by providing assistive devices, physical therapy and emotional resilience programs. Currently, Operation Mercy serves 80 clients and their families.

Provide Relief for Syrian Refugees

by Mercy Corps

Over 4 million Syrians have fled the civil war in their country for the relative safety of neighboring countries. The flow of refugees into camps and host communities continues to swell - far beyond initial expectations - and strain limited resources in the region. Mercy Corps is helping refugees and community members in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and within Syria by providing essentials like clothing and blankets, digging wells and building safe places for children to play and be kids.

F4L: Syria - Restore hope and dignity to Children

by FundLife International

Football has to power to unite more than anything else in the world. More significantly, it has the power to restore childhood to children who have lost everything. The F4L programme will am to secure funds to launch a F4L Syria programme and support the child-survivors through play and normalcy. The F4L virtual stadium is a call for all football fans to help us launch our Syria Programme and bring some sense of hope and future to children.

Support Small Entrepreneurs in Lebanon & Jordan

by Near East Foundation (NEF)

With over four million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries and continued cuts in humanitarian aid, NEF is helping refugee women and adolescent girls in Lebanon and Jordan achieve self-reliance through skills training to improve economic opportunity, financial literacy, group savings, conflict management, and social networking.

Help Syrian Refugees Heal in Gaza

by Rebuilding Alliance

Syrian refugees in Gaza, worried about family left behind, asked not to show their faces. 154 families sought refuge in Gaza when their homes in Syria were destroyed. They walked across to Lebanon, flew to Egypt, crossed to the Gaza Strip seeking specialized medical care, food, and jobs but now Gaza's economy is collapsing due to 12 years of blockade and the US cut of all aid. Please help these families get back on their feet with a 3-month job placement program and restorative medical care.

Language Course & Recreational Events for Refugees

by Burgerstiftung Koln / Community Foundation Cologne

Together with you, we support organizations and initiatives in the recording, management and integration of refugees .

Yummy food opens hearts and integrates refugees

by Burgerstiftung Koln / Community Foundation Cologne

Donors will help to fund a great project of integrating refugees in different ways. On a social base by cooking with new friends and connecting with others, and in a local community by presenting themselves and their work at big events.

Help Us Keep Rescuing Refugees in Peril at Sea

by Refugee Rescue

Fleeing to seek refuge in Europe, thousands of people have died making the short sea crossing from Turkey to Lesvos. Setting off in flimsy rubber boats and wearing fake life jackets, many find themselves heading for rocks or sand banks that can readily capsize or sink a dinghy. Others abandoned by smugglers who drop them at beaches inaccessible via land. Our Search and Rescue crew and emergency response team are on call 24/7, working to prevent any more lives being needlessly lost to The Aegean.

Give Support to 800 Syrian Refugee Families

by Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe

Focus of DKH in the countries of Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey is the supply of refugee families, especially outside the camps, and support for host families and communities. Especially now, as winter sets in, people urgently need accommodation, clothing, blankets, stoves, and coal and food.