DEC announces Syria Crisis Appeal

The Disasters Emergency Committee is launching an appeal for people affected by the conflict in Syria. The announcement follows a dramatic deterioration in the humanitarian situation since the beginning of the year.

World Vision UK, one of the 14 aid agencies which form the DEC, is continuing to step up its efforts to help refugees in neighbouring Lebanon who have fled the fighting in Syria.

There are now over three million people who have been forced to flee their homes. More than one million have fled to neighbouring countries but a further two million are trapped in a country where the health system has collapsed in many areas, water supplies have been disrupted and food is often in short supply. 

The number of refugees leaving the country has increased from 1,000 a day at the beginning of the year to more than 8,000 a day. 

Justin Byworth, Chief Executive of World Vision UK, said: “World Vision staff are assisting ever-growing numbers of children who have fled the bombings and fighting in Syria. I heard tragic individual stories of life torn apart by war when I met families during a recent visit.

“The need is enormous and increasing. Families are resorting to drastic measures to stay afloat financially, including some mothers who are even considering marrying of their daughters to ensure their children's own survival.”

DEC agencies together are supporting work that has reached a total of 920,000 people in areas including Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Idlib, Hama and areas across northern Syria.

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “By coming together under the banner of the DEC we can reveal a little more about the extent of the aid effort inside Syria. There is still however much we cannot say about the work of most individual agencies. We want to be as open as possible but that has to be balanced against ensuring this vital work can continue and keeping those delivering aid safe.

“Despite the efforts of our member agencies and others there are huge and urgent unmet needs, both in Syria and the surrounding countries. In Syria, the greatest challenge to meeting those needs remains the barriers to delivering aid which are faced by impartial humanitarian agencies such as our members. The lack of funds are also a critical constraint though - both for work in Syria and the surrounding countries.”

DEC member agencies are committed to providing support to people from all communities affected by the conflict based on need alone. 

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