Syrian Refugee Crisis

Civil war began in Syria in March 2011. Since then, nearly 11 million residents--half of the pre-war population--have been forced from their homes, fleeing to other parts of Syria or to neighboring countries. 

Families have lost livelihoods. Babies have lost parents. Children have lost dreams. Over the course of the war, Medical Teams International has met Syrians, whether displaced within their country or as refugees outside it, along their journey to safety and healing.

Overview

As of today, 13 million people left in Syria are in need of humanitarian aid. Bombings and horrific acts of war make basic needs like food, water, and medical care difficult to find. As clinics and hospitals are destroyed, health care becomes less available. Now, fewer than half of the medical facilities in Syria are functional. Horrifically, the remaining clinics are increasingly targeted by attacks, putting countless more lives at risk.

As more Syrians are forced from their homes and unable to return, effects of the crisis reverberate throughout the region. Most Syrian refugees live in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.

Host countries try to care for the refugees, but their infrastructures can’t absorb such immense numbers. Tensions are increasing between host countries and refugee populations, leading to discrimination against Syrians. Any savings the refugees may have had at the beginning of the war are likely gone. It's a challenge for refugees to find jobs, and with a lack of income they can’t afford to pay for housing and other essentials.