Updated 23 January 2013
©Info
Tens of thousands of people have now been injured, killed or detained. Around two million people have been displaced from their homes. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Syria to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been working in Syria since before the unrest began. It has now scaled up its response and is providing medical care and supplies, water, food, blankets, sleeping mats, candles, and hygiene items, and evacuating wounded people to hospitals.
The Movement is also supporting displaced people in countries neighbouring Syria – providing essentials such as food, shelter, psycho-social support and medical care.
As conflict escalates even further in Syria, the British Red Cross continues to ask for donations to the Syria Crisis Appeal. Funds raised will help provide continued support for affected people.
Supporting people in Syria
Since the unrest began in 2011, the British Red Cross has given £4.88 million – including some funds raised through its Libya & Region Appeal and its Disaster Fund – to support the Movement’s operations in Syria and neighbouring countries.
In December 2012, to help people cope with winter weather, British Red Cross aid convoys began taking 115,000 blankets, 46,000 tarpaulins, and 23,304 hygiene kits into Syria.
The British Red Cross has also funded eight ambulances and surgical kits, 3,000 food parcels, 150 pairs of overalls for volunteers, 8,400 blankets, 2,920 kitchen sets and 3,144 hygiene kits, and has supported the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in their day-to-day operations.
The British Red Cross previously supported a public awareness campaign in Syria, to help ensure the Syrian Arab Red Crescent’s work is understood and respected. It also sent experienced delegate Alasdair Gordon-Gibson to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Damascus, to help support the Syrian Arab Red Crescent’s work there.
Supporting Syrians in border countries
As the number of displaced Syrians continues to escalate, the Movement has been working across Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey to provide support.
More than 145,000 Syrian refugees have sought refuge in Jordan. The British Red Cross sent a household economic security delegate to Jordan to assess the situation of refugees outside the border camps. It then funded a delegate to work with the Jordanian Red Crescent, preparing to scale up the Movement’s support to Syrian refugees living in communities.
The British Red Cross is also helping Syrians in three refugee camps along the Turkish border via partners from the Turkish Red Crescent. It is providing 2,750 electric heaters, 46,000 high-thermal blankets, 7,100 tarpaulins, 4,710 hot plates for cooking and more than 4,950 kitchen sets.
Donate to the Syria Crisis Appeal
