Press Release
December 9, 2024 • 5 min read
Humanitarian needs in Northwest Syria have steadily increased over the last five years, with vulnerable communities struggling to access life’s essentials under conditions of protracted conflict and in the aftermath of the earthquakes of 2023. International aid must be scaled up urgently, including in response to the recent increase in military activity and resulting displacement, which has put lives at immediate risk amidst winter conditions.
With support from the EU, in November, GOAL delivered winterization assistance to nearly 50,000 people in Northwest Syria. An emergency response window against the impact of recent military escalation has also been initiated thanks to funds provided by the EU and other donors.
More than 16.7 million people in Syria need aid. In Northwest Syria, where GOAL has delivered humanitarian assistance and support since 2012, 4.2 million of the population of 5.1 million struggle to access food, water, and reliable shelter.
Conditions in overcrowded camps and self-settled sites, home to over two million people displaced by conflict and the devastating earthquakes of February 2023, continue to pose critical risks to vulnerable families’ safety, protection, and health.
The need for humanitarian aid has greatly increased with the arrival of Syria’s cold and rainy winter months, especially in camp settings. The recent escalation in military activity, displacing or re-displacing over 200,000 people in Northwest Syria, is putting additional strain on humanitarians’ efforts to deliver aid in the context of declining funding.
Winter Preparedness: A Critical Response
In November, GOAL worked across 52 camps in Northwest Syria’s Idleb Province to provide winterization assistance for displaced families. Through this programme, funded by the EU, GOAL reached up to 50,000 displaced people with cash-based aid to help them access essential heating supplies and warm clothing ahead of the coldest days of the year.
63-year-old Abu Ashraf was among the displaced people who received winterization assistance from GOAL. He has lived in a tent in a camp in Idleb since leaving his home in Hama Province to escape the conflict seven years ago, together with his wife and teenage son.
“We have no other source of income except for aid, and it’s very difficult for us to secure heating supplies. Last year, we did not have a heater in our tent… so we had to burn cardboard pieces and old clothes to warm ourselves. This year we are happy that the winterization assistance provided by GOAL will help us buy a heater and some firewood. This aid can’t cover everything, but it is very important because it gives us a sense of comfort and reassurance during the frightening winter months,” says Abu Ashraf.
Ongoing Conflict
The recent escalation in military activity has led to the largest wave of displacement in Northwest Syria in five years, with more than 200,000 people fleeing their homes under intense shelling and aerial attacks since November 26th.
Those displaced are faced with a lack of shelter, water, food, and other basic necessities. They are often forced to settle wherever they can, seeking refuge in makeshift tents pitched on agricultural land or under tree branches. As temperatures drop, their survival will depend on humanitarians’ ability to reach them with aid.
Thanks to funds provided by the EU and other donors, GOAL has initiated an emergency response window to deliver cash-based assistance across Idleb Province to help people who have had to flee their homes over the last two weeks cope with the challenges of displacement and access food and other essential supplies.
The EU’s Continued Support
GOAL’s current winterization assistance and emergency relief programmes in Northwest Syria are carried out under SANAD, a 22.4 million Euro project funded by the EU and other humanitarian donors.
Through the project, GOAL and partnering local NGOs are additionally supporting the sustainable provision of water, sanitation, and hygiene services for more than 630,000 people across Northwest Syria by rehabilitating piped water networks, helping maintain water stations, installing solar power at water wells, and constructing wastewater treatment plants.
Under SANAD, GOAL and local partners are also reaching over 20,000 families with cash-based food and basic needs aid, enabling beneficiaries to purchase the supplies they need the most. Additionally, GOAL is constructing an accommodation site with ‘dignified shelter units’ which will host more than 100 displaced families. This includes fabricating and installing reliable temporary housing, connecting households to clean piped water and to sanitation services, expanding and improving road infrastructure to ensure unhindered movement, establishing rainwater drainage systems to mitigate against floods and mounting solar-powered light poles in communal areas.
“People in Northwest Syria continue to endure very challenging conditions,” said Tamer Kirolos, Country Director, GOAL Syria.
“As we brace for another winter under extremely uncertain circumstances brought on by renewed conflict while we strive to address the consequences of decreasing international humanitarian funding for Syria, sustained support from the EU offers a lifeline for these communities.”
ENDS
GOAL has been providing humanitarian assistance and support in Northwest Syria since 2012, working in urban, rural, and camp settings to deliver aid for both host communities and displaced populations. GOAL’s programmes encompass facilitating the supply of clean piped water and other Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services, delivering food security, basic needs, and nutritional aid, providing disaster preparedness and emergency relief and shelter and settlement support.
