51Æ·²è

Six years into the Syrian conflict, almost six million children have been left dependent on humanitarian assistance. Children in particular have been particularly badly affected as their childhoods have been devastated by war and their lives placed at dire risk. The pyscho-social effects of the conflict are unmeasurable as children’s development has been stunted and the future of the Syrian people remains uncertain.

Over 2.3 million Syrian children are now living as refugees in neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq and millions have been left internally displaced, often having to relocate on multiple occasions. With no home and no possessions, they have lost everything they once knew. For war-affected children who have lost their parents and homes, life is lonely, challenging and difficult to predict.

At 51Æ·²è, we work to ensure that every child has adequate food, clothing and shelter, as well as the educational and emotional support they deserve and most crucially need. That’s why we’ve been working in Syria since 2012 to help Syrian children and families to keep healthy, happy and hunger-free.

One of our latest initiatives is the 51Æ·²è funded orphanage in Salqin, Idlib – an area which is still currently receiving refugees. Following airstrikes in northern Syria, waves of refugees first headed to Turkey and now, as of November 2016, besieged residents have been left facing weeks of bombings and chronic food and fuel shortages. Medical facilities in the city have largely been reduced to rubble and locals have been squeezed into ever-smaller areas by a major government offensive.

Here in Idlib, our new orphanage supports 15 orphans and 30 refugee children, offering them shelter in the dormitory and an Islamic education in the school. By providing these children with food and shelter, and supporting their educational and personal development, we aim to reintegrate these orphans and refugee children into society, providing them with a better, brighter future.

Statistics: UNICEF (2016)

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