Syria Relief

Last updated

Syria Relief
Founded2011
Type International NGO
FocusEmergency Relief, Health, Education, Orphans and Child Welfare
Headquarters Manchester, United Kingdom
Area served
Syria
Key people
CEO: Othman Moqbel [1] Chair of Trustees: Ayman Jundi Head of Communications and Advocacy: Charles Lawley [2]
Revenue
£22.1 million (2018) [3]
Disbursements£21.8 million
Employees
1,700 [4]
Website www.syriarelief.org.uk

Syria Relief is the largest Syria-focused NGO in the United Kingdom. [5] Syria Relief stated that they "are dedicated to alleviating the suffering and supporting the future of Syrians who have been affected by the crisis, mainly inside Syria." Syria Relief was formed in 2011 at the start of the Syrian Civil War, since then they have reached millions of people, distributing "hundreds of millions" worth of aid. [6] [7] The charity was initially set up as a short-term humanitarian aid project at the start of the conflict, however it has since grown in size. [8] The charity operates a total of 306 schools in Syria, more than any other NGO, [9] [10] and 14 hospitals and healthcare centers. [1] [11]

Contents

Humanitarian programmes

As well as distributing aid and monitoring displacement, [12] one of the main focuses of Syria Relief's work are health related projects within Syria. Syria Relief's trustees are mainly British doctors and the organisation provides medical help through training and paying the wages of doctors within Syria. [13] Syria Relief worked with Save The Children, doctors and researchers to produce the world's first manual into treating children injured by explosives, which Syria Relief began distributing to emergency units across northwest Syria in May 2019. [14] [15] [16] Syria Relief have also pushed for DfID to fund 3D printed prosthetic limbs for children in Syria who have become victims of the conflict. [17]

In October 2019, one of Syria Relief's Primary Healthcare Centres became the target of a shell attack, where 7 were injured, by over 5 shells. Vital equipment and medicines were destroyed in the attack. It was described as a "deliberate attack." [18] [19] In February 2020, another of Syria Relief's healthcare centres was destroyed and a member of staff was killed in an air strike. [20]

Providing schooling for Syrian children is another key aspect of Syrian Relief's work, during the ongoing Idlib offensive, six of the 306 schools that Syria Relief run across the country were hit by airstrikes. [5] [18] [9] [21]

As of November 2019 their humanitarian aid programmes includes: [9]

Outside of Syria, Syria Relief have provided emergency aid to the victims of the August 2020 Beirut explosion and those in lockdown during the Coronavirus pandemic near their UK headquarters in Tameside. [22] [23]

Advocacy

Syria Relief have made efforts to raise awareness of the crisis in Syria, keeping it on the media agenda. In September 2019, they released a report detailing the impact of the deliberate targeting of schools is having on Syrian children, highlighting a spike in illiteracy in areas where schools are hit by airstrikes. [7] In August 2019, they commissioned a YouGov poll which found that 20% of the UK said they did not know if the conflict was still ongoing and 3% believed it has stopped completely. [24] [5] In January 2019, Syria Relief released figures detailing that approximately 75% of children in Idlib are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and 50% are suffering from incontinence.

Supporters

Surgeon David Nott has worked with Syria Relief since 2016, to treat patients in Syria and increase capacity of Syrian doctors. [25] In March 2018, 21 British Members Of Parliament from all parties signed an Early Day Motion specifically praising the work undertaken by Syria Relief, the signatories included Christine Jardine, Sir Peter Bottomley, Ronnie Campbell, Tim Farron and Jim Shannon. [26]

In 2021, Syria Relief released a report, authored by the organisation's Head Of Communications and Advocacy, Charles Lawley, into the prevalence of Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms amongst Syrian refugees and Internally Displaced People, which found that 75% of respondents may have PTSD. [2]

Related Research Articles

Humanitarian aid workers belonging to United Nations organisations, PVOs / NGOs or the Red Cross / Red Crescent have traditionally enjoyed both international legal protection, and de facto immunity from attack by belligerent parties. However, attacks on humanitarian workers have occasionally occurred, and became more frequent since the 1990s and 2000s. In 2017, the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD) documented 139 humanitarian workers killed in intentional attacks out of the estimated global population of 569,700 workers. In every year since 2013, more than 100 humanitarian workers were killed. This is attributed to a number of factors, including the increasing number of humanitarian workers deployed, the increasingly unstable environments in which they work, and the erosion of the perception of neutrality and independence. In 2012 road travel was seen to be the most dangerous context, with kidnappings of aid workers quadrupling in the last decade, reaching more aid workers victims than any other form of attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human Appeal</span> British development and relief charity

Human Appeal is a British international development and relief charity based in Manchester. It was established in 1991. It runs targeted poverty relief programmes in emergency response and sustainable development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya</span> Military operation

The siege of al-Fu'ah and Kefriya was a siege of the towns of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya, towns with majority Shia populations and controlled by Syrian government forces in the Idlib Governorate, during the Syrian Civil War. The siege was initiated with a rebel assault on the capital of the province in March 2015, resulting in the capture of Idlib. On 18 July 2018, the besieged government forces reached an agreement with Tahrir al-Sham-led rebels to evacuate them and civilians from the two towns.

Othman Moqbel is a British non-profit executive. He is a trustee of AVECO and Charity Futures. Currently CEO of Syria Relief, the largest Syria-focused NGO in the UK. Formerly, he was CEO of Human Appeal from 2010 to 2018.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2016. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018)</span>

The Rif Dimashq offensive , code-named Operation Damascus Steel, was a military offensive launched by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in February 2018 in a bid to capture the rebel-held eastern Ghouta suburb during the Syrian Civil War. East Ghouta, a pocket of towns and farms, had been under government siege since 2013 and had been a major rebel stronghold in the vicinity of the capital of Damascus. According to the United Nations, nearly 400,000 people live in East Ghouta.

During the Syrian Civil War, Russian and Syrian government forces have conducted a campaign that has focused on the destruction of hospitals and medical facilities within areas not under the control of the Syrian government. Russian and Syrian officials have repeatedly denied deliberately targeting medical facilities.

The Battle of Harasta, codenamed "They Were Wronged", was a military operation launched by Syrian rebels against positions of the Syrian Arab Army in Harasta, a northeastern suburb of Damascus, during the Syrian Civil War

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Eastern Ghouta</span> 2013–2018 Syrian siege east of Damascus

The siege of Eastern Ghouta was a siege that was laid by Syrian Government forces in April 2013, to the area in eastern Ghouta held by anti-government forces since November 2012, during the Syrian civil war. The cities and villages under siege were Douma, Mesraba, Arbin, Hamouria, Saqba, Modira, Eftreis, Jisrin, as well as suburbs of Damascus Beit Sawa, Harasta, Zamalka, Ein Tarma, Hizzah and Kafr Batna. By 2016, around 400,000 people were trapped in an area just over 100 square kilometres in size, thus with a population density around 4,000 inhabitants/km2.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from January to April 2019. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from May to August 2019. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019)</span> Syrian government military operation against rebels

The 2019 northwestern Syria offensive, codenamed "Dawn of Idlib", was a military operation launched on 30 April 2019 by the Syrian Armed Forces and its allies against rebel groups in northwestern Syria during the Syrian civil war in a region known as "Greater Idlib", consisting of northwest Hama, southern Idlib and northeastern Latakia provinces. The government's main objectives were to open the M5 highway and to expel non-compliant militant groups, particularly the internationally proscribed al-Qaeda-linked group known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), from the 15–20 km demilitarized zone demarcated by Turkey and the Russian Federation at Sochi in 2018. The offensive was seen by both parties as crucial to the outcome of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020)</span> Military operation of the Syrian civil war

The 2019–2020 northwestern Syria offensive, codenamed "Dawn of Idlib 2," was a military operation launched by the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic, Russia, Iran, Hezbollah and other allied militias against Syrian opposition and allied fighters of the Syrian National Army, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Rouse the Believers Operations Room, the Turkistan Islamic Party, and other rebel and Salafi jihadist forces in Idlib and surrounding governorates during the Syrian civil war. The offensive began on 19 December 2019 and saw Russian-backed pro-Syrian government forces clash with Turkish-backed opposition groups along with leaving 980,000 civilians displaced.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian Civil War from September–December 2019. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian Civil War.

The Maarrat al-Numan market bombing or Maarrat al-Numan market massacre was a war crime through an aerial bombardment of a marketplace and the surrounding houses in the Syrian opposition-held town of Ma'arrat al-Numan in the Idlib Governorate of Syria. It was perpetrated on 22 July 2019, from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. local time, during the Syrian Civil War. The bombing killed 43 civilians, including three girls, and injured another 109 people. At least two four-storey residential buildings and 25 shops were destroyed. A nearby school, located some 700 meters from the market, was damaged.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2020. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian civil war.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2021. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found at Casualties of the Syrian civil war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations</span> Syrian healthcare chairty

The Union Of Medical Care And Relief Organizations is a humanitarian non-governmental organization that provides healthcare in rebel-held areas of North West Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tauqir Sharif</span> British-born aid worker in Syria

Tauqir Sharif is a British-born aid worker known for his activity in Syria, his involvement in several convoys including the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla and Road to Hope, having his UK citizenship revoked based on accusations of Al-Qaeda affiliation, and then ironically his 2010 abduction by an Al Qaeda-aligned Islamist group.

The following is a timeline of the Syrian civil war for 2022. Information about aggregated casualty counts is found in Casualties of the Syrian civil war.

References

  1. 1 2 Moqbel, Othman (31 March 2021). "Othman Moqbel: In ten years Syria Relief has gone from a tiny group of volunteers to become the largest Syria-focused UK charity". Civil Society.
  2. 1 2 Ahmed, Kaamil (1 March 2021). "More than 75% of Syrian refugees may have PTSD, says charity". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Data for financial year ending 31 December 2018, Syria Relief".
  4. ↑ "SYRIA RELIEF, EDM #1064".
  5. 1 2 3 Moqbel, Othman (17 August 2019). "More than 200 children have died in Idlib since April yet we are forgetting about the Syrian conflict". Independent.
  6. ↑ "Syria Relief". bond. August 2015.
  7. 1 2 "No School To Go Back To: The Impact of Airstrikes on Syria's Schools". Syria Relief. 4 September 2019.
  8. ↑ Chamberlain, Zoe (19 March 2019). "'Billboard dad' Sunny Araf wants to take Brummies to Lebanon to help Syrian refugees". BirminghamLive.
  9. 1 2 3 "Syria Relief announce 107 new schools through partnership with Chemonics". Syria Relief. 15 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Facebook. 20 August 2020 https://www.facebook.com/syriareliefcharity/photos/a.204114199703634/3504674836314204/?type=3.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ Ball, Lucy (22 March 2021). "Chapel-en-le-Frith humanitarian reflects on ten years of horrors in Syria after returning from aid mission". Buxton Advertiser.
  12. ↑ Evans, Gareth (28 September 2018). "Idlib hospitals at breaking point in last rebel stronghold". BBC.
  13. ↑ Vohra, Anchal (16 February 2019). "Syria: Civilians face familiar threats in rebel-held areas". Al Jazeera.
  14. ↑ Mills, Jen (16 May 2019). "Children's blast injuries handbook is 'shocking testimony to failure of adults'". Metro.
  15. ↑ Brogan, Caroline (16 May 2019). "First manual on child blast injuries launched by Imperial and Save the Children". Imperial College London.
  16. ↑ "UK doctors launch guide for Syrian medics battling to save children's lives". Israel Hayom. 16 May 2019.
  17. ↑ Iftikhar, Umair (24 September 2018). "Syria Relief Appeals for 3D Printed Prosthetics for Children". 3D Printing Industry.
  18. 1 2 "Seven injured in Syria charity shell attack". BBC. 4 October 2019.
  19. ↑ Slater, Chris (5 October 2019). "Seven injured in Syria charity shell attack". Manchester Evening News.
  20. ↑ Spencer, Richard (21 February 2020). "Hospital caught in Idlib crossfire runs out of money and hope". The Times.
  21. ↑ "Syria: Cluster Munition Attack on School". Human Rights Watch. 22 January 2020.
  22. ↑ "Manchester aid workers helping people of Beirut following last week's explosion". ITV News. 11 August 2020.
  23. ↑ "Tameside Covid-19 response service provides vital aid to local community". In Your Area. 11 June 2020.
  24. ↑ Firth, Sara (21 August 2019). "I've spent years reporting from Syria. The world has tuned out, but hope still exists". The Guardian.
  25. ↑ Nott, David (24 February 2019). "David Nott: 'They told me my chances of leaving Aleppo alive were 50/50'". The Guardian.
  26. ↑ "SYRIA RELIEF EDM #1064". UK Parliament. 13 March 2018.
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