Syria

After more than 12 years of conflict and an increase in fragilities brought on by the series of earthquakes that hit northern Syria and Türkiye in February 2023, 16.7 million Syrians are estimated to need humanitarian assistance and over seven million are now internally displaced. Syria now has the largest number of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) people in the world. Approximately 5.5 million Syrian refugees live in the five countries neighbouring Syria - Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt.

GOAL is one of the leading humanitarian actors in Northwest Syria and has supported conflict-affected people since 2012. In 2023, 950+ staff managed a programme expenditure, shared with the Türkiye programme, of over €98M - reaching more than 900,000 people every month.

Whilst GOAL's main operations are in Idleb Governate, work expanded to Aleppo Governorate (A’zaz District) in late 2018. Programmes include Emergency Response, Resilient Health and Food & Nutrition Security. Operations are supported by senior management in Jordan and Turkiye, as well as at the GOAL HQ in Dublin.

What we do in Syria

Emergency Response

Resilient Health

Food & Nutrition Security

Emergency response

GOAL’s emergency response programme reached circa 312,000 newly displaced people with food and non-food relief items and one-off cash transfers in 2023.

On Mon 6th Feb 2023, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Southern Türkiye and northern Syria as 18 million people slept. 55,000 people, including 32 GOAL staff, lost their lives that night. The earthquake completely destroyed 1,700 buildings and partially destroyed 8,600 buildings in Idleb and Aleppo, where GOAL works. And up to 55,000 families who were already displaced because of the ongoing conflict in Syria were displaced again.

This extensive damage to buildings meant thousands, including small children and the elderly, were immediately without shelter and exposed to harsh weather conditions.

Priority needs included shelter, medical supplies, water, sanitation, food, cash, and psychosocial support. GOAL teams on the ground were quick to respond to carry out scoping missions, coordinate with local government and humanitarian structures, engage with local partners and deliver lifesaving assistance.

Rehabilitating essential WASH infrastructures

WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Programmes.

In 2023, GOAL supported over 1.3 million people by supplying clean, safe, potable water to their homes through the operation of water stations and the repair of water supply infrastructure damaged by ongoing conflict, via 64 water stations.

This water was provided to 227K children under five years of age,

Following the earthquakes in February 2023, GOAL teams promptly assessed the condition of water stations and networks, ensuring that 40 water stations were operational within the first week after the earthquake.

Bakery support following the earthquake

GOAL is one of the largest operators of food security programming, also addressing persistent food insecurity in Idleb and Aleppo Governorates in NW Syria.

In 2023, GOAL reached over 2.2 million people with food & nutrition security.

For example, GOAL provides 50 per cent of the flour and yeast inputs of more than 20 local bakeries in Idleb Governorate to help supply bread at almost half the market price for around 300,000 people. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, GOAL restarted the vital bakery programme, partnering with eight additional bakeries in earthquake-affected areas, which served a further 285,000 people.

GOAL Syria also distributed ready-to-eat kits and free bread bags to 6,000 earthquake-affected households.

Our achievements

GOAL has been one of the leading humanitarian
agencies in Northwest Syria since 2012, especially in food security programming.
With over 1,000 local staff based in Türkiye and Syria,
GOAL teams responded promptly to the February
2023 earthquakes, including:
- provided emergency MPCA to 27,000
  households in Idleb and North Aleppo.
- Supplied over 8,000 people with water in places where infrastructure was not yet repaired.
- Distributed ready-to-eat kits and free
  bread bags to 6,000 earthquake-affected
  households.
- Trained 70 staff on GBV risk mitigation to
  protect women and girls.
In 2023, GOAL improved access to sufficient and safe water for 1.5 million people by operating water
stations and repairing infrastructure.
In 2023, GOAL supported over 35,000 people with cash and voucher assistance to allow households to meet their needs and survive shocks in a flexible and dignified manner.
In 2023, 50,000 families in Northwest Syria were reached with multi-purpose cash assistance.
19% of those that GOAL reached with humanitarian aid assistance in Northwest Syria in 2023 were under five years old, and 20% of those reached had a disability.

Our story in numbers

2012

GOAL Syria begins

€93M

Programme expenditure in 2023

800

Staff across Northern Syria

2.1M

People reached in 2023

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