Life-Saving
After more than a decade of conflict in Syria, humanitarian needs remain enormous, spanning various sectors. Families continue to flee armed hostilities, airstrikes, and shelling occurring daily in northwest Syria. 12.4 million people in Syria – more than 70% of the current population and the highest level ever recorded in the country – are food insecure. With most households either barely able or unable to meet their most basic needs and millions living in IDP camps, life-saving responses continue to be crucial for populations across Syria, particularly northwest Syria.
We provide critical emergency assistance to newly displaced women, men, and children fleeing conflict and disasters. These families often find themselves in open fields, transit sites, collective shelters, or within a host community. SARD’s integrated and effective preparedness response system allows us to adapt and respond to rapidly changing emergencies across Syria. Our life-saving assistance includes food, emergency shelter kits or other shelter support, non-food items, psychological first aid, water and sanitation, hygiene kits, and more.
Emergency Food
In the face of displacement, SARD provides cooked meals and food baskets to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in open fields, reception centers, and camps. During the wave of massive displacement in 2019, we delivered food assistance to 178,373 IDPs (33,255 displaced households).
Emergency Shelter
SARD installs emergency shelters in transit sites and open feilds for newly displaced people. SARD provides emergency repairs to ensure shelter environments are safe and accessible.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
For families fleeing violence and disasters, SARD
provides emergency hygiene kits, access to water supplies, and installs emergency
sanitation and latrines. This not only meets immediate needs, but enhances
privacy and reduces protection risks. In 2020, SARD updated its hygiene kits
package to include additional soap and hand sanitizer in response to Covid-19.
Non-Food Items
SARD’s emergency NFI assistance is tailored to each household and may entail bedding units, kitchen sets, clothes, and more. In 2019, we distributed NFI to 53,800 internally displaced persons.
Protection
SARD provides case management to children who are a protection risk and Psychological First Aid to those fleeing conflict and disasters. In 2021, SARD opened an emergency shelter, the first of its kind, for unaccompanied and separated children.
Spotlight: Covid-19 Response
Northwest Syria was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 along with the rest of the world, further hindering humanitarian efforts in the region. In addition to the ‘usual’ access and security challenges, we also faced health and safety risks not only for ourselves but also for the communities we serve.
Despite these difficulties, SARD’s team was able to swiftly adapt and respond. In 2020 alone, our team provided face masks and e-vouchers for hygiene items to over 20,000 people and supported the Personal Protective Equipment needs in eight health facilities. In addition, SARD conducted awareness campaigns through social media reaching more than 1,500,000 people with messages focused on hand-washing, vaccination, and prevention measures.
