A number of aid agencies which includes World Vision have combined to lend their voice to a call for governments, NGO’s and the general public to champion Syrian children by backing the “No Lost Generation” initiative.
The agencies are so worried about the crisis facing millions of children in Syria that they have all united behind the call for public support and donations to fund vital protection and education programmes designed to alleviate the problems of mental and emotional distress for Syrian children.
Conny Lennenberg World Vision’s Regional Leader for the Middle East and Eastern Europe says millions of children in Syria are in serious need, no longer in school and living in extreme vulnerability so it is important to try to support them.
Ms. Lennenberg added that all actors around the world should to do more to avoid the loss of a generation of children. The strategy is being called the “No Lost Generation” and will be formally rolled out to the public just ahead of a major conference in Kuwait that is designed to raise money.
You can find out more information about the plight of children in Syria on social media with the hashtag #childernofsyria. Alternatively there is a website www.championthechildrenofsyria.org where you can find information and learn about how children are being affected by the conflict.
World Vision Brussels and EU Representation Director of Advocacy and Justice for Children, Deirdre deBurca says World Vision is very pleased that the European Commission’s Humanitarian Office has chosen to support the website.
Ms. deBurca says that the EU is the single largest donor to the region and this means they must continue to support these efforts without which the children of Syria may well never end up recovering.
To get a sense of the unfolding crisis, nearly one million Syrian refugees are children with approximately half that number aged under five and there are three million displaced children in Syria itself who face an even more dire situation.
The “No Lost Generation” strategy has roped in a number of aid agencies and nongovernmental organisations that operate throughout the region. The strategy will funnel as much as $1 billion into prragammes that will provide protection from exploitation and deliver safe education. The programmes will also seek to prevent abuse and violence as well as offer psychological care and support.
Image Courtesy of World Vision
