Helping Syrian Refugees: By the Numbers

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As Syria marks six years since the beginning of its brutal civil war, Catholic Relief Services has supported over 1.25 million people affected by the conflict.

“The scale of the suffering is devastating” said Kevin Hartigan, CRS Regional Director for Europe and the Middle East, “but as Pope Francis reminds us, there are human faces behind the staggering statistics. Each of the millions of displaced Syrians is an individual uprooted from a full life, a family member, a loved one."

The war has led to the displacement of more than 11 million people. That’s more than half the country’s pre-war population. And that number continues to grow every day.

Syrian refugee Souad Mohamed with her baby, Hassan, inside the tent where they live in an informal settlement in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Photo by Sam Tarling for CRS

Syria’s neighboring countries—Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt—have reached a breaking point, with some 4.1 million refugees crossing their borders. Lebanon alone has more than 1.2 million refugees, the highest number per capita in the world.

The needs of Syrian refugees are basic: food, shelter and medical care.

CRS RESPONDS

In Europe, CRS works with local Catholic and Orthodox partners to provide food, shelter, medical care, and legal and translation services to hundreds of thousands of refugees and other migrants.

We’re helping to meet their basic physical needs and providing education, care and trauma counseling for children, who make up more than half the Syrian refugee population in the Middle East. They are paying the heaviest price in this crisis. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP SYRIAN REFUGEES

Thanks to your generosity, CRS and Caritas are working diligently to serve these war-weary children and their families.

As a Syrian refugee mother told us in Lebanon, “My children come back from educational activities more relaxed because they have an opportunity to leave the stress of the house. They are happy.”

Here are some examples* of how your donation can make a difference.

Emergency Relief

• Food kit, $20: Staple foods like powdered milk, rice, flour and canned goods
• Bedding supplies, $35: Mattress, mattress cover, pillow, pillow cover, winter blanket, and cotton blanket
• Debit card, $40: For basic necessities like clothing, food, transportation and lodging
• Clothing and baby carriers, $50: For families and children with disabilities  
• Shelter, $50: pays for 3 nights of lodging, and food and counseling
• Winter kit, $150: Blankets, mattresses and, in some cases, heaters

Educational Support

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  CRS and our local partners are providing education and care for 40,000 Syrian children. Photo by Murad Saldawi for CRS/Caritas Jordan
  School materials kit, $56: Backpack, notebooks, pencils, pens, rulers, pencil sharpener, erasers, pencil cases and a water bottle
• Transportation, $63: Monthly transportation to and from university
• Catch-up classes, $134: For children who have been out school for more than 6 months, includes teacher salary, space rental, school supplies  and textbooks
• Scholarship, $500: Covers 4 years of university tuition
• Summer school, $1,450: Per student, includes teacher’s salary, bus transport, school snack, space rental and school supplies

Jobs

• Small business grant, $600: Helps a Syrian refugee start a business.

*Symbolic examples of the good your donation can do for refugee families in Europe and the Middle East

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