One Syrian doctor’s determination in the face of violence and displacement
By Lina Alqassab and Yasmine Saker Lattakia, Syrian Arab Republic, 2 August, 2017– When violence started to force families out of their homes in northern rural Idleb back in late 2014, Dr. Khaled, a UNICEF health and nutrition facilitator in Idleb was among the first to respond. Dr. Khaled was instrumental in launching much-needed […]
A Syrian refugee girl in Jordan defies all odds to achieve top scores in the Tawjihi exams
Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan – August 2017: Despite the challenges of living as a refugee in Za’atari camp, a teenage girl has defied all odds through sheer persistence and hard work, and achieved top scores in the Jordanian Tawjihi- General Secondary Education Certificate Examination that qualifies her to register for university. With 86.7 per […]
A child-friendly space offers respite for Raqqa’s internally displaced children
By Monica Awad and Delil Soulieman Raqqa, Syrian Arab Republic, 2 August 2017 – Intense fighting forced 14-year-old Muhannad and his family to flee from their home in Raqqa to Ain Issa camp. Since 1 April 2017, the fighting in Raqqa has uprooted more than 200,000 people from their homes. Half of the displaced are […]
Syrian families struggle to survive in besieged east Ghouta
By Andreas Knapp The scale of destruction and depth of suffering is mind-blowing. It is hard to imagine life in these conditions. These are the thoughts that hit me as we arrived in the so-called ‘buffer zone’ just outside of besieged Al-Nashabiyeh in east Ghouta, rural Damascus. Burnt trees, rubble, and damaged buildings lined the […]
In east Aleppo, clinics on wheels keep children healthy
By Basma Ourfali ALEPPO, Syrian Arab Republic, 1 August 2017 – In many cities, the sight of children and parents crowded around a big white truck on a hot summer day is not unfamiliar. Only in conflict-affected eastern Aleppo, it is not an ice cream truck gathering these children, but a UNICEF-supported mobile health […]
Landmines pose the latest threat to children in Raqqa
By Massoud Hassan and Yasmine Saker QAMISHLY, Syrian Arab Republic, 11 July 2017 – When 10-year-old Khaled and his family fled their home in Raqqa in the middle of the night two weeks ago, they were seeking safety after living through months of heavy fighting and in constant fear. They had already been displaced […]
How far would you go to sit for exams? A journey of determination and ambition
Aleppo, Syrian Arab Republic, 6 June 2017- My pursuit for education has been a hard and long route. I was in Grade 8 when I was forced to leave school, after fighting started in my village in eastern rural Aleppo. I was depressed but I tried not to lose hope. I continued studying alone […]
‘No Place Like Home,’ says UNICEF Advocate Ishmael Beah on World Refugee Day
‘Your life doesn’t stop when you become a refugee’ By Malene Jensen and Salim Oweis AMMAN, Jordan, 20 June, 2017 – “No one wants to flee their home,” says Ishmael Beah, author and UNICEF Advocate for Children Affected by War, following a recent visit to Jordan, where he met with children and young people uprooted […]
Interview with Ershad Karim, UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Qamishli Syria
8 June 2017 – The number of displaced children in northern Syria is staggering, says Ershad Karim, Chief of the UNICEF Field office in Qamishli, who is responsible for the UN relief efforts in Raqqa, where severe fighting is taking place. “A few weeks ago, I was in one of the camps hosting internally […]
Families fight for survival in war-ravaged Syrian town
By Nafisa Binte Shafique, Chief of UNICEF Field Office, Homs On 15 June 2017, I was part of a joint humanitarian convoy led by the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. We delivered food, health and hygiene supplies to around 100,000 people in Talbiseh, Homs […]
The quest for safety: Displaced children from Syria’s Ar-Raqqa city adjust to a new life in camp
Field diary by a UNICEF facilitator in Ar-Raqqa, north-eastern Syria[1] Ar-Raqqa, Syrian Arab Republic, 11 June, 2017- Children pay the highest price for war. They suffer from the fear of death and injury. Those who survive are grieving for lost loved ones, leaving them with lifelong psychological scars. Working as a health and nutrition […]
Families fleeing violence in north eastern Syria face dire living conditions in a makeshift camp at Ain Issa
Since November 2016, unrelenting violence in the north eastern governorate of Raqqa has displaced 107,000 people. Intensified attacks and shelling have destroyed infrastructure and shattered civilian lives. Families are seeking safety in poorly-equipped temporary shelters and camps in the area. They are living in dire conditions with little access to basic services. UNICEF is responding […]
