Global aid agency World Vision is intensifying its activities in both Syria and neighboring countries as the acute refugee crisis caused by the civil war has resulted in two million people displaced.
The UN Refugee agency says that there are now more Syrians displaced than any other nationality in the world.
World Vision UK has been vocal about the potential impact of the refugee crisis on Syria’s neighbors, in particular Lebanon, which has seen its population increase by nearly a third as refugees flee.
“As children go back to school in the UK today, hundreds of thousands who fled Syria don’t even have their most basic needs met – let alone an education. Two million refugees – half of them children – is a terrifying landmark. Each one has an individual story of fleeing the country they loved with nothing but the clothes on their back, their homes destroyed and relatives killed.
We and other agencies are doing all we can to help these children rebuild their lives, yet the task is overwhelming. Children play no part in the conflict yet, as our staff see every single day, they’re the ones who suffer most.” Justin Byworth, Chief Executive of World Vision UK, said:
World Vision’s aid program in Lebanon is providing assistance to over 125,000 people including both refugees from Syria as well local residents. The organization is providing refugees with water and sanitation as well as meal vouchers and hygiene kits. World Vision is also operating Child Friendly Spaces designed to provide sanctuary and some normality against a backdrop of chaos. World Vision is also providing emergency food, health facilities and clean water to nearly 70,000 people in Jordan. The agency has established water and sanitation facilities for nearly 30,000 refugees housed in a new camp at Azraq.
Image Courtesy of World Vision
