Why You Should Still Care About Syria

Entering its 10th year, the conflict in Syria is one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. USAID has not forgotten about the people at the heart of the crises who have endured so much.

Syrian children have paid a heavy price for the ongoing conflict. Around 5 million children need humanitarian aid. Photo credit: Aaref Watad, AFP

March marks a grim anniversary for Syria — nine full years have passed since fighting broke out, and the crisis is now entering its 10th year. Stop and really think about what that means:

• A child born at the beginning of the Syria crisis would now be in 4th grade, assuming there was a school to attend.
• There have been 4 World Cups and 4 Olympic Games (summer + winter).
• The crisis in Syria has lasted twice as long as World War I.

Video courtesy: USAID

In Syria, the passage of nine years has ushered in a different set of milestones:

• Nearly 12 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.
• 5.6 million Syrian refugees are living in neighboring countries.
• An additional 6.2 million people have fled their homes but remain inside of Syria.

And recently, a new low — in only a few months’ time, shelling, airstrikes, and ground attacks in northwest Syria forced nearly one million people to flee. It’s the single largest displacement since the crisis began.

We can’t forget that behind these startling statistics are people. People who have lost too much and have suffered for too long. People like Tasneem, a 10-year-old who lives in a tent with her family after fleeing to escape airstrikes.

Video courtesy: OCHA

Also, people like Dima, a widowed mother of three who found work preparing school meals with USAID partner the World Food Program.

After losing her husband, ongoing violence in Aleppo forced Dima to flee with her children. Finding work with a USAID partner gave her hope, independence, and the ability to buy food and school supplies for her three kids. Photo credit: Marwa Awad, WFP

A decade into the Syria crisis, we have not forgotten the Syrian people and we remain committed to helping them. The United States has provided more than $10.6 billion in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian response.

USAID assistance alone is reaching 5.1 million Syrians every month, including four million people across all 14 governorates in Syria. This means that food, water, shelter, winter clothing, medical services, heating fuel, and other critical relief supplies are getting to people who have experienced things that no one should have to endure.

Despite the challenges, we work with our partners to provide life-saving aid to millions of Syrians every month. Photos credit: USAID partners

Humanitarian aid will not solve the conflict, but it is vital to keeping people alive. During this anniversary, please join us in remembering the people at the heart of this crisis. They are why we still care.

Find out more about how USAID’s humanitarian response to the Syrian conflict.

Information on how you can help can be found here.

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