Emergency Assistance to Syrian IDPs and Refugees
13/2/2012
1.Brief description of the emergency
Since March 2011, anti-government protests in Syria continue to grow and have led to military actions between armed groups and government forces resulting in internal displacement of Syrian civilians throughout the country, as well as a rise in the number of Syrian refugees in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
2.Impact
While many displacements have been temporary, the conflict has caused damage and destruction of homes and farmland caught in the crossfire, leaving families homeless and forced to flee the violence. Some of the IDPs are moving out of the Homs, Hama and other conflict zones to safer areas such as Damascus, Christian Valley and other towns and cities which have not been impacted by the conflict. Once the families are safely settled, some of the men are returning back to their homes in order to keep their jobs and protect their property. Other Syrians who have sought refuge in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey have confirmed reports of internal displacements. Exact figures of temporary or longer term displacement in the country have been difficult to obtain however, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and its Syrian partner, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch And All The East (GOPA) are in the process of collecting these figures.
3.National and international response
As concern grows over the plight of civilians, IOCC and partner agency GOPA in cooperation with the Syrian Red Crescent, are working to identify the most urgent needs of IDPs including housing assistance, tuition assistance for displaced schoolchildren, non-food items and heating fuel. A number of UN agencies have a presence in the country, but most operate under a development framework and most of the humanitarian support has been given to Iraqi refugees who have been allowed into the country and continue to enter. Syria currently hosts one of the largest urban refugee and asylum-seeker populations in the world, with more than one million refugees from neighbouring Iraq. Attention should be given to the newly displaced Syrian families who are finding it extremely difficult to cope with the situation that is evolving. International agencies do not have the freedom to operate in Syria without acquiring permission from the Syrian government.
4.Planned activities
IOCC/GOPA has teams of staff visiting IDP families resettled in Damascus to conduct a rapid needs assessment. IOCC staff in both Jordan and Lebanon has been engaged in the coordination meetings that are being held with UNHCR and other national and international agencies to attend to the needs of Syrian refugees pouring into both countries. IOCC staff is also visiting areas in both Jordan and Lebanon that are hosting Syrian refugee families.
IOCC/GOPA continues to implement its Iraqi refugee assistance program in Syria. In addition, IOCC in cooperation with Finn Church Aid continues to support Iraqi refugees in Jordan.
