HEADLINETHE

SYRIA
SUBHEADLINE

CRISIS

An update for
private supporters

years
stories
countries

Contents

399

Five years
Timeline to a crisis 4
Five stories
Families and staff touched by Syrias conflict 8
Five countries
UNHCR response in five key countries in 2015

UNHCR
staff work
inside Syria,
delivering vital
humanitarian
assistance
and support.

14

UNHCR & the Syria crisis

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads the international action to
protect some 55 million people who have been forced to flee their
homes, including the millions of Syrian families displaced by conflict.

Acknowledgements

UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

This report has been prepared by UNHCRs Private Sector Fundraising

Communication team to update donors and supporters on their support
to help Syrian refugees.
Design: Tom Fincham
Words: Kirsty McFadden
Cover image: UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis

During the five years of conflict, we have been on the frontlines, both
inside Syria and in surrounding host countries, delivering life-saving
assistance, safeguarding fundamental human rights, and developing
solutions to help Syrians find a better future.
Today, the Syria crisis shows no concrete signs of ending. With tens of
thousands of Syrians landing on the shores of Greece over the past
year, the crisis has now reached the doorstep of Europe. Your support
today is as crucial and as vital as ever.

Published: 7 March 2016

Five years

Timeline to a crisis

Helping Syria's neighbours

deal with the human fallout of
this terrible conflict is crucial
for preserving the stability of
the entire region. This is not
just another refugee crisis
what happens in Syria and in
the neighbouring countries
potentially has much wider,
even global, implications,"

When the Syrian conflict started five years ago,

no one could have predicted that this emergency
would become the defining refugee crisis of our
time with far-reaching consequences for the
Middle East, Europe and refugees searching for
safety across the world.
As we head into a sixth year of conflict, UNHCR
reflects on the grim milestones we have
surpassed and continues to call on all parties
to the conflict to find a permanent peaceful
resolution and a tangible solution for all of the
Syrians who have been forced from their homes.
UNHCR/Jared J. Kohler

Antonio Guterres,
former UN High
Commissioner
for Refugees

2011

2012

2013

March

July

March

The Syria crisis begins when peaceful protests

spread nationwide.

UNHCR and Jordanian authorities open

Zaatari Refugee Camp. One year later, it
will be home to some 120,000 refugees.

The number of Syrian refugees registered

with UNHCR reaches 1 million.

May

April

December

As the protests grow, a number of Syrian's

begin to flee their homes and the first camps
for refugees open in Turkey.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees warns of

the far-reaching consequences of the conflict
and the increased need for funds to support
the Syrians who have found safety in host
countries like Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

Neighbouring countries now host half a million

refugees and people continue to arrive in
search of safety and protection from UNHCR.

August
The number of Syrian refugee children reaches
1 million and the following month, the total
number of Syrian refugees passes 2 million.

2014

2015

2016

March

July

January

UNHCR has registered over 2.5 million Syrians

in neighbouring countries, and estimates some
6.5 million people are displaced within Syria
and in need of help. By mid-2014, nearly half
of Syria's 22 million population are estimated
to be affected by the conflict and in need
of humanitarian assistance.

The total number of Syrian refugees exceeds

4 million.

UNHCR takes part in an aid convoy to

deliver life-saving food aid and blankets to
the starving civilians trapped in Madaya and
three other besieged towns inside Syria. More
convoys follow, delivering UNHCR winter
clothes, jerry cans, household items and diapers.

October

September

UNHCR reports an alarming increase in the

number of Syrians risking deadly sea journeys
across the Mediterranean and by the end of
October, 31% of all people arriving by sea are
Syrian refugees.

Photos of drowned 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi appear

in global media outlets and shock the world.

August
The UN announces that the crisis in Syria
has claimed an estimated 250,000 lives, and
displaced 12 million people.

February
Over 4.6 million people have fled Syria since
the conflict started.

All the countries that have an

influence in this complicated
peace process, none of them
should be looking at those
pictures of starving children
without realizing that unless
peace comes we will see more
of those pictures."
Filippo Grandi, UN High
commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR/Hereward Holland

UNHCR deploys staff to Greece and

other European transit countries
including Hungary, Serbia,
and Croatia to offer
protection and support
to the tens of
thousands of
people arriving
in Europe in
search of
safety.

 UNHCR/Warrick Page

Five Stories

Tamara: A lifeline in the suburbs

Over 4.6 million Syrian men, women and children

are now registered with UNHCR as refugees.
Despite the hardships of five years of conflict
and flight, behind the staggering statistics are
stories of resilient families and dedicated UNHCR
frontline staff, all finding strength in adversity to
carry on through the most difficult days.

Tamara Bakez, UNHCR Senior Field Assistant,

is battling a cold. I am fortunate. I have a warm
home to return to tonight. The Syrians here are
not so lucky; most live in terrible housing, housing
they cant even afford.

Malik: Cancer
care in a camp
When little Maliks stomach became bloated and
sore, his mother Khulud suspected the worse;
When the chemical attacks happened, we were
living in the basement of a neighbours house
after ours was destroyed.
When Malik became unwell, I took him to a
hospital in Damascus. I knew something was
wrong. He was diagnosed with cancer.
Fearing Malik would not receive the life-saving
treatment he needed in Syria, Khulud, four-yearold Malik and his three-year-old sister Malak fled
to Jordan.
In Zaatari refugee camp Malik was immediately
referred to Jordan University Hospital for
chemotherapy: When we arrived here, Malik
started receiving treatment immediately thanks
to UNHCR. I am so grateful for the support; I don't
know what would have happened if he didn't get
this help.

UNHCR/Sebastian Rich

Families and staff touched by conflict

With some 85% of refugees across Jordan living

outside of camps in rented accommodation in
cities and towns, Tamara and her colleagues have
conducted tens of thousands of home visits to
find the most vulnerable families and get them the
help they so desperately need.
Most Syrians in Jordan
dont need a UNHCR
blanket; what they
desperately need
is money to help
pay the rent,
cover the cost of
medicines or buy
school books and
uniforms. Refugees
cant work here and
after many years from
home, savings are
mostly gone.
Working for UNHCR
isnt always easy
because there is
never enough
money to cover
everything. But

I've started to notice improvements - his energy

is coming back, he's interested in food again and
I hope hell be the little boy he used to be.
In the UNHCR managed Zaatari refugee camp,
all refugees receive expert medical care at the
on-site UNHCR directed and funded medical
clinic. With special cases like Maliks, UNHCR also
covers the full cost of cancer treatment, follow-up
and care in expert hospitals throughout Jordan.

this job is about making a difference. I cant stop

war but I can help those affected by it.
UNHCRs Lifeline programme is making a vital
difference to more than 108,000 people in Jordan
by delivering targeted, monthly cash assistance to
the most vulnerable Syrian families living in urban
areas of the country.

 UNHCR/Hereward Holland

Hannouf: Surviving a winter storm

Ahlam:
New life in europe

Hannouf feeds her children a hot lunch as

they gather as close as safely possible to
the small wood stove used for heating and
cooking; "The situation is not good at all.
We spent all last night shovelling snow from
the roof of the tents, but still 2 tents in this
camp collapsed,"

Heavily pregnant and with her six-year-old

daughter Samer in hand, Ahlam clambered
from the fragile dinghy that had carried her
to the shores of Europe.

But Ahlams calm demeanour belied a major

problem. Her baby was upside down and
she urgently needed a caesarean section.

Every year, within Syria and in the neighbouring

host countries like Jordan and Lebanon, UNHCR
prepares emergency aid stocks as part of its
winter programme. Before the snowstorms
descend, UNHCR frontline teams distribute
winterization kits including fuel vouchers,
blankets, stoves and food parcels to help the
most vulnerable people and families survive
the harsh winter.

"During the first winter here we said hopefully

we will go back home before the next winter,

UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Cradling swaddled baby Samar, Ahlam

recounted her journey: We thought we would
drown, all the time. We didnt think we would
make it. In Syria it would have been very
difficult for my new baby to grow up. There
would be no hope for her. Life begins here.

UNHCR gave us blankets and food coupons

which help a lot, but we have no money for
wood for the stove.

After years of living in her family tent, in an

informal settlement on the edge of a town in
Lebanon, this is not the first storm Hannouf,
her children and the refugee settlement have
weathered. It will not be their last.

She looked totally calm and cool, but I

noticed that she looked very pregnant, in
her last trimester, says on duty, UNHCR
Protection Officer Shirleen Afshar.

UNHCR fast-tracked Ahlams registration

with authorities and quickly transferred her
to hospital, where she gave birth to a baby
girl at 15:00 the same day.

but with each year the situation is going from

bad to worse.

UNHCR offers direct support and protection

to the most vulnerable refugees like Ahlam
and her daughters. We are also calling on
Europe to provide safe and legal pathways
to safety so that families do not have to rely
on unscrupulous people smugglers and the
dangerous sea journey.

10

11

Hana: Frontline protection

Ive been there, says UNHCRs Hana
Zabalawi. I know how they feel the
uncertainty and the fear.

Ive been working with UNHCR for 20 years

now, and its the first time I met so many

refugees telling us how important we are to them,

who say: I am so happy to see you.
Its not just water, or biscuits. By seeing us they
feel secure. They feel protected, because this
is the unknown They say dont leave us; you
received us in Greece, you saw us at the borders,
and you were there all along the way.

In 2015, UNHCR deployed 192 full-time staff to

support refugees arriving in Europe. Protection
Officers like Hana play a vital role monitoring the
borders, identifying and referring those most in
need, and distributing aid and advice.

UNHCR/Igor Pavicevic

Back in the first Gulf war, Hana, a SyrianPalestinian was living in Kuwait and fled after
the Iraqi tanks rolled in. It was Syria that gave
her a home, and an education.

Today, clad in a blue UNHCR vest, Hana is on

emergency deployment, working minimum
eight-hour shifts as a Protection Officer,
offering hope to a people deeply unsure
about the future ahead.

12

13

Five Countries

UNHCR response in 2015

UNHCR works both within Syria and in the
surrounding host countries in the Middle East
and Europe to support families who have fled
and offer them the protection and help they
need. The country updates below provide a brief
introduction to the complex and multi-faceted
work of UNHCR protection and response teams
on the ground. With the support of private donors
like you, UNHCR develops and runs programmes
that not only provide life-saving essentials such
as shelter and healthcare, but also support Syrian
families to find a permanent, safe home.

TURKEY

SYRIA

Turkey is now the largest refugee hosting

country in the world, sheltering some
2.6 million Syrians. Turkish authorities lead
the refugee response in the country with
the support of partners including UNHCR.
In 2015, UNHCR achievements include:

UNHCR estimates that 13.5 million people

are in need of humanitarian assistance
inside Syria, with 6.5 million people displaced
from their homes and around 2.4 million
living without adequate shelter. In 2015,
UNHCR supported millions of people.
Key achievements include:

With authorities, completing the biometric

registration of 2.6 million people to allow for
delivery of more targeted support

Delivering over 9 million core relief items,

such as sleeping mats, kitchen sets, plastic
sheeting, thermal blankets, and jerry cans,
to more than 3.2 million vulnerable people.
UNHCR supported missions to 33 hard
to reach areas to deliver this vital aid.

Providing livelihoods training for some

9,000 refugees and vulnerable people in the
host community to help strengthen income
opportunities and reduce burden on Turkish
communities dealing with the influx of people.

Reaching 865,654 vulnerable people in

Syria with UNHCR protection services and
providing more than 797,000 people with
access to critical health care services.

Registering 8,099 Syrian individuals for

resettlement to safe countries.

GREECE

Training 4,200 people

from local authorities
and partner organisations
in protection.

In 2015, Greece became the main entry country

for desperate Syrians trying to reach safety in
Europe. UNHCR achievements include:
Establishing eight UNHCR field offices, 21 vital
reception centres, transit sites, and assembly
points through the islands and on the mainland
to provide protection and support.
Delivering and installing 314 refugee housing
units, 101 family tents and nine prefabricated halls
to provide short-term but safe accommodation
for arriving people and families.

In winter of 2015-16, assisting some

452,000 people with targeted winter
interventions and issuing 130,000 winter
kits to those most at risk.
Sheltering some 61,000 vulnerable people
with solutions that improved living conditions
in hard-hit areas.

Between September
and December,
distributing 139,318 food
and non-food items (NFIs) including thermal
blankets and sleeping mats throughout Greece.
Providing 1,000 safe, accommodation places
in Athens and the islands to refugees seeking
formal relocation within the European Union.

LEBANON

JORDAN

With the second largest population of Syrian

refugees, UNHCR Lebanon is developing robust
solutions that target and protect the most
vulnerable. UNHCR key achievements include:
Providing targeted financial assistance to 141,000
families over winter to help them survive. In
addition, helping over 8,000 families living in
Arsal with winter fuel cards to cover heating costs.
Funding 182,000 primary health-care
interventions and 60,222 hospital admissions
for life saving interventions and obstetric care.
14

In the final quarter of 2015, delivering

safer water, sanitation and health (WASH)
programmes to more than 80,000 refugees
and improving water quality for over
55,600 people.
Registering 13,000 Syrians for resettlement
to safe countries and referring 5,000 to
Canada under their leading Humanitarian
Transfer programme.

the UNHCR managed Zaatari refugee

camp. In winter, keeping children warm
and dry with clothes grants for every child
in the camp and improving shelter
maintenance with one-off shelter cash
assistance to every family.

UNHCR Jordan has developed a suite of

programmes to deliver help to Syrian families
both inside and out of camps. UNHCR
achievements include:
Delivering monthly cash assistance to
some 108,000 people through UNHCRs
Lifeline programme to cover basic survival
essentials including rent, healthcare
and education.

Delivering a comprehensive energy plan

for Azraq refugee camp that will provide
enough, low-cost electricity for 28,000
families to operate lights, a refrigerator,
television, fan and charge phones in each
family shelter.

Protecting, assisting and delivering essential

services to the 79,000 refugees who live in
15

unhcr.org

UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis