10 years on, the daily suffering of Syrians is worse than ever

Even after a decade of the Syrian crisis, it remains a terrifying humanitarian tragedy and the largest displacement crisis globally. The humanitarian situation is more problematic than ever. The crisis has left behind widespread destruction and massive damage to infrastructure, and affected the economy badly. Many sectors, especially health and educational facilities, went out of service. Over 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, seeking safety in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and beyond, and another 6.6 million people remain displaced inside the country. Millions of Syrians need humanitarian assistance. Approximately 92 percent of refugees who have fled to neighboring countries live in rural and urban settings, with only 8 percent living in refugee camps.Turkey alone hosts the largest refugee population - 3.6 million. Below Poverty LineAccording to the UN Refugee Agency, the Syrian refugees live in challenging conditions in Lebanon where there are no formal refugee camps and, as a result, more than a million registered Syrians are scattered throughout more than 2,100 urban and rural communities and locations. Around 75 per cent live below the poverty line.In Jordan, over 655,000 Syrian refugees are currently trapped in exile. Approximately 80 per cent of them live outside camps, while more than 139,000 have found sanctuary at the camps of Za’atari and Azraq. An estimated 93 percent of the refugees live below the poverty line.Iraq has also seen a growing number of Syrians arriving, hosting more than 246,000.Disruption to Education“Inside Syria, there are over 2.4 million children out of school, nearly 40 per cent are girls. This number has likely increased in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic which exacerbated the disruption to education in Syria. One in three schools inside Syria can no longer be used because they were destroyed or damaged,” according to UNICEF. “Children who are able to attend school often learn in overcrowded classrooms, and in buildings with insufficient water and sanitation facilities, electricity, heating or ventilation.”Impact of COVID-19“The impact of COVID-19 on poverty levels among Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan, Lebanon and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has been severe and profound in 2020. An estimated 4.4 million people in host communities, close to 1 million Syrian refugees and 180,000 internally displaced Iraqis in KRI were newly affected by poverty after the beginning of the crisis,” according to a new joint study by the World Bank and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) published on the Reliefweb website.   Syrian Crisis: Facts and Figures at a Glance·       There are 12.2 IDPs and refugees (6.6 IDPs and 5.6 refugees).·       Two million Syrians live in extreme poverty, according to United Nations estimates.·       A record 12.4 million people in Syria are struggling to find enough food to eat.·       Approximately 13.4 million people need humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.·       Inside Syria, there are over 2.4 million children out of school.·       2.6 million children were displaced by the end of 2019·       Save the Children estimates that over 60% of all children in the country are now facing hunger.