Syria Relief

Syria Relief is the largest Syria-focused NGO in the United Kingdom.[3] Syria Relief state that they "are dedicated to alleviating the suffering and supporting the future of Syrians who have been affected by the crisis, mainly inside Syria." Syria Relief were formed in 2011 at the start of the Syrian Civil War, since then they have reached millions of people, distributing "hundreds of millions" worth of aid.[4][5] The charity was initially set up as a short-term humanitarian aid project at the start of the conflict, however it has since grown in size.[6] The charity operates a total of 306 schools in Syria, more than any other NGO.[7][8]

Syria Relief
Syria Relief aid worker carrying an emergency foodpack, Beirut, August 2020
Founded2011
TypeInternational NGO
FocusEmergency Relief, Health, Education, Orphans and Child Welfare
HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
Area served
Syria
Key people
CEO: Othman Moqbel Chair of Trustees: Ayman Jundi
Revenue
£22.1 million (2018)[1]
Disbursements£21.8 million
Employees
1,700[2]
Websitewww.syriarelief.org.uk

Humanitarian programmes

As well as distributing aid and monitoring displacement,[9] one of the main focuses of Syria Relief's work are health related projects within Syria. Syria Relief's trustees are mainly British doctors and the organisation provides medical help through training and paying the wages of doctors within Syria.[10] Syria Relief worked with Save The Children, doctors and researchers to produce the world's first manual into treating children injured by explosives, which Syria Relief began distributing to emergency units across northwest Syria in May 2019.[11][12][13] Syria Relief have also pushed for DfID to fund 3D printed prosthetic limbs for children in Syria who have become victims of the conflict.[14]

In October 2019, one of Syria Relief's Primary Healthcare Centres became the target of a shell attack, where 7 were injured, by over 5 shells. Vital equipment and medicines were destroyed in the attack. It was described as a "deliberate attack." [15][16] In February 2020, another of Syria Relief's healthcare centres was destroyed and a member of staff was killed in an air strike.[17]

Providing schooling for Syrian children is another key aspect of Syrian Relief's work, during the ongoing Idlib offensive, six of the 306 schools that Syria Relief run across the country were hit by airstrikes.[3][15][7][18]

As of November 2019 their humanitarian aid programmes includes:[7]

  • Running 3 hospitals, 2 mobile clinics, 3 primary health centres, 7 family planning clinics and a prosthetic limbs centre, helping over 250,000 people each year.
  • Running 159 schools, with organisations such as Save the Children and UNICEF, helping approximately 55,592 children.
  • Providing vocational training, cash for work and small business support and rehabilitation of farming, oil production and water treatment, helping nearly 20,000 people.
  • Providing clean water facilities for over 1.5 million people.

Outside of Syria, Syria Relief have provided emergency aid to the victims of the August 2020 Beirut explosion and those in lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic near their UK headquarters in Tameside.[19][20]

Advocacy

Syria Relief have made efforts to raise awareness of the crisis in Syria, keeping it on the media agenda. In September 2019, they released a report detailing the impact of the deliberate targeting of schools is having on Syrian children, highlighting a spike in illiteracy in areas where schools are hit by airstrikes.[5] In August 2019, they commissioned a YouGov poll which found that 20% of the UK said they did not know if the conflict was still ongoing and 3% believed it has stopped completely.[21][3] In January 2019, Syria Relief released figures detailing that approximately 75% of children in Idlib are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and 50% are suffering from incontinence.

Supporters

Surgeon David Nott has worked with Syria Relief since 2016, to treat patients in Syria and increase capacity of Syrian doctors.[22] In March 2018, 21 British Members Of Parliament from all parties signed an Early Day Motion specifically praising the work undertaken by Syria Relief, the signatories included Christine Jardine, Sir Peter Bottomley, Ronnie Campbell, Tim Farron and Jim Shannon.[23]

References
  1. "Data for financial year ending 31 December 2018, Syria Relief".
  2. "SYRIA RELIEF, EDM #1064".
  3. Moqbel, Othman (2019-08-17). "More than 200 children have died in Idlib since April yet we are forgetting about the Syrian conflict". Independent.
  4. "Syria Relief". bond.
  5. "No School To Go Back To: The Impact of Airstrikes on Syria's Schools". Syria Relief. 2019-09-04.
  6. Chamberlain, Zoe (2019-03-19). "'Billboard dad' Sunny Araf wants to take Brummies to Lebanon to help Syrian refugees". BirminghamLive.
  7. "Syria Relief announce 107 new schools through partnership with Chemonics". Syria Relief. 2019-11-15.
  8. Facebook. 2020-08-20 https://www.facebook.com/syriareliefcharity/photos/a.204114199703634/3504674836314204/?type=3. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. Evans, Gareth (2018-09-28). "Idlib hospitals at breaking point in last rebel stronghold". BBC.
  10. Vohra, Anchal (2019-02-16). "Syria: Civilians face familiar threats in rebel-held areas". Al Jazeera.
  11. Mills, Jen (2019-05-16). "Children's blast injuries handbook is 'shocking testimony to failure of adults'". Metro.
  12. Brogan, Caroline (2019-05-16). "First manual on child blast injuries launched by Imperial and Save the Children". Imperial College London.
  13. "UK doctors launch guide for Syrian medics battling to save children's lives". Israel Hayom. 2019-05-16.
  14. Iftikhar, Umair (2018-09-24). "Syria Relief Appeals for 3D Printed Prosthetics for Children". 3D Printing Industry.
  15. "Seven injured in Syria charity shell attack". BBC. 2019-10-04.
  16. Slater, Chris (2019-10-05). "Seven injured in Syria charity shell attack". Manchester Evening News.
  17. Spencer, Richard (2020-02-21). "Hospital caught in Idlib crossfire runs out of money and hope". The Times.
  18. "Syria: Cluster Munition Attack on School". Human Rights Watch. 2020-01-22.
  19. "Manchester aid workers helping people of Beirut following last week's explosion". ITV News. 2020-08-11.
  20. "Tameside Covid-19 response service provides vital aid to local community". In Your Area. 2020-06-11.
  21. Firth, Sara (2019-08-21). "I've spent years reporting from Syria. The world has tuned out, but hope still exists". The Guardian.
  22. Nott, David (2019-02-24). "David Nott: 'They told me my chances of leaving Aleppo alive were 50/50'". The Guardian.
  23. "SYRIA RELIEF EDM #1064". UK Parliament. 2018-03-13.

[1]

  1. Clements, Hannah (2020-08-18). "Manchester Based Charity Attending to Beirut Blast Victims". Manchester News. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
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