Not Just Numbers: Syrian Families Identify Their Needs And Concerns As War Enters Tenth Year

NEW YORK (June 30, 2020) – The war on children in Syria has been one of the most brutal in recent history. Nearly 6 million Syrian children were born since the crisis began. They know nothing but war and displacement. On average, a child in Syria has been killed every 10 hours due to violence, and more than 2.5 million children have been uprooted and forced to flee to neighboring countries in search of safety.

Syrians, however, are not just numbers. They have voices and opinions and these voices should not go unnoticed nor unheard.

UNICEF adopted results from a recently conducted Gallup International/ORB International opinion survey. The face-to-face survey asked Syrian people in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon about the greatest challenges and concerns they and their children face nearly a decade since the war began.

Covering 3,500 Syrians, the survey aims to give voice to Syrian families highlighting the impact of war and conflict and help shaping how to best respond to the needs that families identified moving forward. 

“In this survey, Syrians tell us how the war has affected their lives firsthand and the lives of their children and simply how they survived one of the most brutal wars in recent history.” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director for UNICEF in the Middle East and North Africa. “It is obvious that the wounds run deep and that the impact on the mental health of Syrians is tremendous. We also know from this survey that education for children and poverty are among the top concerns and key challenges” he added.

According to the survey

• Syrians everywhere stated that children paid the heaviest price in this conflict.
• Psychological damage and impact on mental health was identified as being as severe as physical wounds.
• Most Syrians surveyed have experienced first-hand displacement, injury or the death of a loved one.
• Syrians living inside Syria tend to be more optimistic about the future of Syria’s children than those living in neighboring countries. Families with children tend to be significantly less optimistic than those without.
• Education was identified as the biggest challenge for families in Syria, followed by poverty, access to healthcare and care for orphans.
• When asked about top priorities for children, people identified getting children back into education as a priority followed by access to health care and providing care for orphans.
• In some parts of Syria, more than half of the people surveyed said they have at least one child out of school, in comparison to around one third of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. 

While there are 2.8 million Syrian children out of school, nearly 5 million children inside Syria and in neighboring countries continue to have access to learning against all odds. This is largely thanks to the efforts of teachers, education personnel, partners on the ground and with the generous support from UNICEF’s donors.

“As donors meet for another pledging conference for Syria in Brussels, we would like to thank all our donors for the unprecedented generosity. It played a huge role to help Syrian children continue their education. We ask donors to maintain their generosity towards the children of Syria and neighboring countries so that children are able to catch up on lost years of education or continue their education. Now with COVID-19 partially disrupting informal education at some UNICEF-supported centers and child friendly spaces, large scale funding is more critical. This is fundamental for their future and the future of Syria” concluded Chaiban.

To continue providing Syrian children with critical assistance, UNICEF currently needs US$682 million for programs inside Syria and in neighboring countries.

# # #

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information, contact
Erica Vogel, UNICEF USA, 212.922.2480, evogel@unicefusa.org
Gabby Arias, UNICEF USA, 917.720.1306, garias@unicefusa.org