Oxfam and its partner the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) are urging donors and governments to give more money to provide assistance to Syrians trying to recover from eight years of civil war and who are trying to rebuild their lives. Both agencies have also urged the Syrian Government to allow humanitarian organisations into the country and help everyone that is need. This comes against the backdrop of the civil war entering its eighth year.
Conflicting starting to subside
Whilst the conflict in most parts of Syria has started to subside or ended, there are still 11.7 million people who depend on humanitarian aid with almost two thirds living in government-controlled areas. Many schools and homes have been obliterated, entire neighbourhood have no access to sanitation or clean running water and people are unable to provide for their families. More than 80 per cent of the population now live below the poverty line and over two million children are not in school according to UN statistics.
Money is urgently needed
Despite the scale of the problems faced by the people of Syria, governments and donors do not seem to want to fund projects they think will be contributing towards rebuilding Syria, especially in parts of the country controlled by the government. This means millions of Syrians depend on aid and many of those will be in that position for quite some time to come. A spokesperson for Oxfam, says money is urgently needed to help the millions of Syrians that have had to bear the brunt of brutal and bitter civil war recover. These people aren’t seeking handouts, they want a helping a hand to become self-reliant and rebuild their lives.
Syrian government preventing delivery of aid
The Syrian Government has not made it easy to deliver a helping hand. It has placed many restrictions on access and directly engaging with communities in need. The approvals process is both complex and opaque which makes it very hard for humanitarian agencies to deliver assistance to the millions of people in need across the country. A spokesperson for DRC says the needs of the people of Syria should be at the forefront of the response.
Without help people will continue to suffer
Donors should be willing to fund a humanitarian response that covers all parts of Syria so that ordinary people can rebuild their lives with dignity. Simply because control of an area now belongs to the government doesn’t mean people in those areas no longer need help. In order for the people of Syria to recover from all the devastation, money is needed for essential services such as healthcare, education and water. Humanitarian agencies need to have access to deliver these services and without the support ordinary Syrians will continue to suffer well into the future.
