Medair helping people displaced from Afrin, Syria

Tens of thousands of women, children, and men have fled the northern Syrian city of Afrin amidst the ongoing and escalating crisis.

With nowhere else to go, they have fled to villages and towns two hours northwest of Aleppo and are not being allowed to travel farther. They are in desperate need of food, shelter, safe drinking water, and health care.

Medair is already working in Aleppo, and we are preparing to deliver shelter and household kits to provide basic shelter and comfort to at 2,500 people. In the areas where we can reach them, at least 500 families will receive our support.

Our teams will distribute essential household items such as mattresses, blankets, jerry cans, and solar or rechargeable lights. Based on needs, we will also provide water tanks and shelter kits containing wood, plastic sheeting, and tools, allowing families to carry out basic adjustments or repairs to create safer, dignified shelter.

“Thousands of people are affected by the situations in Afrin and Eastern Ghouta and it’s changing every day,” says Clare, Country Director for the Syria programme. “Each family matters. I visited our existing work in Aleppo just last week and saw how valuable even a basic mattress and blanket can be to someone in need.”

The number of people fleeing is growing every day. We are scaling up our response to help families affected by this and other crises in Syria.

Medair has been working in Syria since 2015, providing shelter, health care, and safe water to families living in Rural Damascus, Aleppo, and Homs Governorates. We work alongside other humanitarian organisations on the ground to coordinate our assistance and provide support to as many families as possible.

Medair is an independent, impartial, and neutral organisation. Our staff visit all locations in person to independently assess needs and prioritise our responses based on the needs of the most vulnerable.

Medair’s work in Syria is made possible with the support of EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN Children’s Fund, and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.

Photo © Medair l Zain Albadeen