The images of desperate refugees from countries like Syria and Iraq crossing the Mediterranean in unstable boats are a distressing reminder of the shocking refugee crisis that led to the founding of Christian Aid in 1945.
Meanwhile, in Syria itself, millions of people remain trapped in besieged areas, displaced internally and in need of humanitarian assistance.
In neighbouring Lebanon, more than 1 million Syrians are living as refugees, while in Iraq there are now a quarter of a million Syrian refugees.
Christian Aid is working with our ACT Alliance agencies in supporting humanitarian efforts taking place in Europe, as well as with our partners in the Middle East. Our partners can provide essential humanitarian supplies such as food, water, baby kits and hygiene kits, as well as psychological and social support for those who are suffering as a result of the conflict.
The numbers seeking sanctuary will grow as long as the conflicts in Syria and Iraq continue and, as winter approaches in all countries of refuge, their needs will increase. As a result of your generosity we are able to continue supporting existing vulnerable families, as well as preparing to help thousands more.
It’s not only the devastating civil war in Syria that has displaced millions. In Iraq, successive waves of armed conflict by the so-called Islamic State (IS) has forced more than 3 million people from their homes and has led to more than 8 million people being in need of humanitarian assistance.
How we’re responding
Supporting refugees in Europe
In Europe we are working with our ACT Alliance sister agencies to support refugees who are arriving at some of Europe’s borders. We’ve released £100,000 in emergency funding. Often exhausted, hungry and with little in the way of possessions, our partners are providing much needed relief and support to refugees.
In Serbia, our partner Philanthropy (Charitable Foundation of the Serbian Orthodox Church) is working on the Macedonian-Serbian border, registering up to 1,700 refugees a day. They are providing health checks, as well as relief items – asking refugees what items are useful to them.
In Greece, our partner IOCC (International Orthodox Christian Charities) is working on the Greek Islands with refugees arriving from Turkey. They are providing sleeping bags, food, water and baby kits, and are working to improve conditions in reception centres.
Supporting Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Iraq
In Lebanon and Iraq, our partners continue to support Syrian refugee communities. Working in host communities and informal settlements, and with refugees who aren’t often receiving other aid, they have provided food, hygiene items, infant kits, fuel for cooking and cash assistance, as well as much need psychosocial support to help people process what they have seen and experienced.
Our partners have been supporting Syrian refugees since the beginning of 2013. For a more detailed understanding of how we have been responding to the Syria conflict, please visit our Syria Crisis Appeal pages.
Supporting displaced Iraqis
It’s not only Syrians who have been forced to make the difficult and often dangerous journey out of their homeland in search of sanctuary. Millions of Iraqis have been displaced by the violence in Iraq, as a result of the so-called Islamic State (IS). Our partners have been responding to this conflict since the beginning of 2014 and continue to do so.
As well as providing humanitarian essentials, they have also provided psychosocial support for children and young people in the way of music, art, drama, English and local Kurdish dialects, and a workshop on conflict and peacebuilding with children from displaced Iraqi, Syrian refugee and host communities.
For a more detailed understanding of how we have been responding to the Iraq conflict, please visit our Iraq Crisis Appeal pages.
Calling for peace
Despite the action that Christian Aid and our partners are taking, a political response is the only long-term solution to the devastating conflict in Syria that is destroying the lives of millions of people. There are four aspects to this:
We believe that the UK has to take a lead in bringing all those involved in waging war to the negotiating table. Those caught in the crosshairs of violent conflicts deserve nothing less.
There has to be cross-European agreement on responding to the needs of refugees who have sought our help on European shores. We welcome the positive moves in Europe to relocate 120,000 of those seeking refuge. While this new action does not go far enough, it does set a positive precedent that must now be built upon. The response so far from the UK government has not gone far enough. The UK needs to constructively engage in developing a strategy involving the whole of Europe. We need a resettlement and relocation scheme that is balanced, mandatory and adequately funded. The UK has a proud history of working with other governments to protect the rights of refugees and of those fleeing conflict, and we are confident that this tradition will be upheld.
In addition, Christian Aid believes that the UK must resettle its fair share of the most vulnerable Syrian refugees who are still living in the region. We consider that 20,000 over five years is simply inadequate. We urge the UK to put in place safe and legal routes by which those seeking asylum from the region can do so. We believe this needs to be done quickly and not over 5 years.
Over 12 million people inside Syria are reliant on lifesaving aid. Over 4 million Syrian refugees have been living in often dire conditions in neighbouring countries for up to more than four years now.
These people still need our help and support, and more so now as winter approaches. The UK government can be proud that it is leading the way in pledging funds to meets some needs, but it must do more in encouraging other states to fulfil their pledges too. The international donor community must step up to the mark.