Syrian refugee crisis stretching aid effort to its limits say aid agencies

Many Syrian refugees living outside camps across countries in the region are losing out on the help they desperately need, according to five international aid agencies today.

World Vision, CARE International, Oxfam, Danish Refugee Council and Handicap International are increasingly concerned that with more than 1.4 million – 80 per cent of all Syrian refugees – living in tents, temporary settlements, or over-crowded and expensive rented accommodation, the international response is failing to match the scale of the crisis.

Neighbouring countries are struggling to cope with the huge number of refugees. In Lebanon Syrians make up a quarter of the population. Just 131,000 of the half a million refugees who fled to Jordan are living in Zaatari camp. Many refugees, particularly those scattered outside cities across the region, struggle to get information on the support services that are available to them.

The aid agencies say that the international community must massively step up its response to the growing crisis.

David Thomson, Director of Policy and Programmes at World Vision UK, said: “Children and their families are fleeing bombings and sniper fire in Syria, and arriving in the surrounding countries with absolutely nothing.

“Most are struggling to rebuild their lives and need all the help they can get, but the sheer number of refugees means this challenge is getting tougher by the day. Our recent research in Lebanon – where a third of the country’s population could be made up of refugees by Christmas – shows the country’s at breaking point. Demands simply can’t be met.”

The aid agencies are calling on donor countries to dig deep and find more money to help them scale up the humanitarian response, particularly in Jordan and Lebanon which are hosting more than a million refugees between them. There is also a growing need to support host communities and governments, where basic services are coming under pressure from increased use.

At the same time, almost seven million people – a third of the population – are desperately in need of aid inside Syria.
In June the UN launched its largest ever humanitarian appeal for $5bn to support the Syria crisis but has only received 36 per cent of the money required.

Health care has become a luxury that many cannot afford. For people with injuries, the situation is especially critical as the lack of available services often leads to further impairments. Vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and persons with disabilities or chronic disease, do not have access to essential services, unless they are offered by organisations like Handicap International.

According to World Vision, rents in parts of Lebanon have soared, often by as much as 200 per cent in just a six month period. Though rents are increasing, employment opportunities and pay have not kept pace. In Lebanon where refugees are prohibited from working in many professions, jobs that are available are usually poorly-paid and offer little or no security.

The agencies also say fears are mounting of the impact of poor living conditions on refugees’ health. Even amongst those refugees living in rented accommodation, few have access to running water or a separate toilet or bathroom and those living in tents have limited sanitation facilities, increasing the risks of disease particularly given temperatures regularly reach 40C (110F). In Jordan, more than a quarter of refugee households in the Mafraq region have no access to water, while some children living in a tent community in West Balqa could only bathe once every 10 days.