Highlights
- In Syria, UNICEF participated in three ICRC/UN Inter-Agency (IA) convoys, including to the hard-to-reach (HTR) area in Rural Homs, reaching around 33,500 people in need with multi-sectorial assistance; to the besieged location in East Ghouta in Rural Damascus, delivering supplies for an estimated 13,000 people in need; and to the HTR areas in northern Aleppo, delivering multi-sectorial assistance for about 50,000 people in need. In addition, 339,000 people were reached in 64 HTR locations with life-saving interventions and critical services.
- In East Ghouta in Syria, the total number of affected school-age children is estimated at 11,500. With UNICEF and partners’ support, three functional learning spaces were established for IDPs, and a total of 5,300 children have fully resumed learning. Additionally, UNICEF has responded in eight IDP shelters in five communities providing clean drinking water and installing prefab latrines, as well as the distribution of bottled water at crossing points for IDPs coming out of East Ghouta.
- About 293,000 refugee children in Turkey have benefitted from a Conditional Cash Transfer for Education payment in March, a 10 per cent increase over the payment in January, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 330,625 since the launch of the programme in May 2017.
- With a WASH funding gap of 85%, UNICEF had to reduce the full WASH response to Syrian refugees in Lebanon to only water trucking and desludging. As lifesaving activities need to continue, persistent lack of funding could jeopardize critical WASH support for 160,000 refugees.
- Through 215 UNICEF-supported Makani centres in Jordan, 58,000 vulnerable children (65% females) have benefited from integrated services that include learning support, community-based child protection and life skills training.
In Syria
5.3 million
# of children affected
13.1 million
# of people affected
(HNO, 2018)
Outside Syria About 2.7 million
(2,681,865)
# of registered Syria refugee children
Over 5.6 million
(5,622,358)
# of registered Syrian refugees
(UNHCR, 1 April 2018)
UNICEF Appeal 2018 US$ 1.287 Billion
Funding Status
US$ 581 Million
Syria
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs: Following agreements between parties to the conflict, some 130,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have left the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta in March, either through established corridors to collective shelters in Rural Damascus (83,000 people) or through evacuation agreements to Idlib and Aleppo governorates (more than 48,000 individuals, including mostly civilians and some fighters). There were also exchanges of dead bodies and the release of Syrians held by the armed groups. Some 45,000 individuals remained inside the shelters in East Ghouta, in facilities with a capacity to accommodate 25,855 people only. The needs of affected people including children, remain severe, such as for WASH, food, shelter/non-food items, health and protection.
By the second week of April, Government forces and their allies captured Eastern Ghouta in its entirety, including Duma, after the evacuation of all armed opposition groups (AOGs) in the area towards northern Syria. Having fluid waves of IDPs arriving into camps in Jarablus and Idleb has posed challenges on the humanitarian response due to overcrowding and the dire needs of people stepping out of a long-time enclavement.
Following a local agreement in the neighbourhood of Al-Qadam in Damascus city, on 14 and 15 March, some 1,300 people were evacuated to Idlib governorate. The United Nations was not a party to the negotiations nor involved in the organization of the evacuation.
In Afrin, the Turkish Government and AOGs have captured the main city of Afrin. Military confrontations in the Afrin district of Aleppo governorate since 20 January have displaced an estimated 137,000 people to the Tall Refaat area, Nubul and Al Zahraa, Fafin, and the surrounding villages. The lack of freedom of movement for IDPs is a major concern.
In Raqqa city, an estimated 98,200 people returned by 29 March. Public services are slowly returning, with at least 37 bakeries operational and the obstetrics unit of the National Hospital having resumed services. However, the widespread presence of explosive hazards, including unexploded ordnances, landmines and improvised explosive devices throughout Raqqa city continues to pose a significant risk to civilians, as well as to humanitarian workers. On average, since January 2018, approximately 20-25 blast wounded incidents occur per week in Ar-Raqqa City. Children, especially boys, are among the victims which could be explained by warmer weather and the increase of children playing outside, in the rubble and other unsafe areas.