Devastated country the world is ignoring
One year ago this country was dealt an unimaginable blow – and things have only become so much worse.
OPINION
One year ago, following devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria which claimed over 50,000 lives, I wrote for news.com.au about my personal grief of losing loved ones in the destruction and asked: could things get any worse?
Unfortunately, the answer appears to be a resounding yes.
Take my 16-year-old cousin Naya. Her social media posts over the past year have been a constant stream of broken heart emojis as she struggles to move on. Naya lost her 18-year-old sister Maya in the earthquake.
In my hometown of Jableh, our family’s home collapsed, killing Naya and four other members of my family. In the initial hours and days following the earthquake, the world turned their back on Syrians with slow search and rescue.
The dire circumstances in the country made things even harder. It took my family hours to reach the scene, a struggle shared by many who, like us, didn’t have access to a car or fuel. On that cold, dark winter morning, neighbours rallied to clear the debris with their bare hands. The rescue teams arrived just moments too late. My cousins’ bodies were still warm when unearthed.
I was left asking myself if the devastation would have been as bad if the conflict had never happened. If services were better, would my young cousins still be alive?
Fast forward one year, and the situation in Syria has worsened.
The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance has surged from 15.3 million to 16.7 million in the past year, the highest since the start of hostilities about 13 years ago, according to the United Nations. The irony is now, as humanitarians we are asked to provide assistance to more people with less funding. We are told to prioritise – to choose between preventing starvation or sending children to schools.
Having spent 16 years working in conflict zones globally, predominantly with Save the Children, I’m truly fearful for the next generations of Syrians. Solutions are dwindling, while needs have skyrocketed.
In the 12 months following the earthquake, the country has faced a trifecta of challenges: renewed conflict, climate change, and a crumbling economy. The most significant escalation in conflict in five years hit northern Syria in October, and regional air strikes in southern and central Syria in January pose additional threats, especially to children.
The ongoing economic crisis, worsened by sanctions, has made life unbearable for ordinary Syrians. The year 2023 marked the worst for the currency, with skyrocketing inflation transforming basic necessities into luxuries.
A staggering 90 per cent of households struggled to cover essential needs, leaving families to make impossible decisions for their children, according to the UN.
But just as needs have gone up, aid has gone down.
The World Food Programme (WFP) stopped much of its main food assistance programme in the country at the start of this year due to a lack of funding.
Financial support for Syria is decreasing as other urgent crises dominate headlines. But beyond the money, international attention on the crisis is also fading, prompting my greatest fear: will the world forget about Syrians?
Syria – the country – remains a battleground for global powers. But Syrians – the people – are too often overlooked.
Many children, like my cousin Naya, are reeling from the double-blow of conflict and earthquakes.
The path forward remains clear – we need to restore basic services in Syria. Beyond rehabilitating damaged or dilapidated infrastructure, we need to create safe spaces and schools for children, train teachers and pay them a proper wage for their job.
We need investment in sustainable projects focused on supporting parents to access jobs that pay a decent wage, support farming so people are less reliant on food assistance, and health systems so children can grow up healthily. We have to ensure that children and their families can access proper mental health support so they can cope with everything they have been forced to endure.
Right now, there’s nowhere near enough funding or support to achieve this.
Our work as humanitarians has never been harder. There’s no momentum for a peaceful way forward. Yes, we need financial assistance, but we also need the people giving us money to allow us to make change. We simply cannot keep doing the same things, with fewer resources and expect to see a better outcome for children.
The world is of course a more fragile place today than it was a year ago, and Syria is among a growing number of countries grappling with conflict, particularly in the region.
But the international community has a responsibility to ensure that all children, wherever they are, can grow up in safety, in dignity and in hope.
Rasha Muhrez is the Syria response director for Save the Children
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Originally published as Devastated country the world is ignoring
