Syrian Children Out in the Cold

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 3, 2012) -

Link to full report - Out in the Cold

Fears are growing for Syrian children and families hit by freezing winter weather as huge funding shortages endanger relief operations in the region, Save the Children has warned.

A new report published by the aid agency, Out in the Cold, documents the desperate steps that children in Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan are taking to survive increasingly bitter weather in the region, with snow and sub-zero temperatures expected to hit many areas in the coming weeks. The current aid shortfall is over $200 million - half the total estimated needs - for Syrian refugees, hindering relief efforts and putting families at risk.

Among the heart-rending testimonies given to Save the Children are children huddling three to a blanket, sleeping in makeshift shelters made of billboards and falling sick as temperatures plunge in the region.

"Syrian refugees are facing rapidly deteriorating conditions as the winter is coming on. As is always the case, when there is conflict children suffer the most," said Save the Children's President & CEO, Patricia Erb.

"The international community needs to engage in the effort to assist the Syrian refugees. Without that funding thousands of children are going to spend a bitter winter without proper shelter from the cold, and many will become sick as a result."

Some 400,000 refugees are living in tents, barns, unfinished buildings and other temporary shelters ill-equipped to provide protection from the cold. Many fled during summer months with only the clothes on their backs, and often children lack warm jackets and clothes to withstand the winter. In Iraq, the only footwear most refugee children have is the flip-flops they fled in.

In Jordan, parents are going into debt to provide basic clothing for their children, and in Lebanon, where there are no camps, high rents are preventing families finding or keeping adequate shelter. One group of refugees in the Beka'a Valley is facing freezing temperatures in shelters constructed from tarpaulins.

There are now fears that infections and diseases could spread amongst refugee children, who are particularly vulnerable to the cold weather, and are living in close proximity in refugee settlements.



-- "We have one blanket. We don't have anything else. We don't even have
clothes. We received one blanket and we're three. When we cover
ourselves with the blanket, it's not enough for us. We're getting sick -
I'm getting sick." Ali, 11, living in an abandoned school.

-- "When I feel cold I start shivering - even now I feel cold. My throat
hurts, and I feel like I have the flu. We need medicines." Ines, 8,
living in a shelter made of billboards.

-- "When it rains outside, you really feel the cold. It's really bad for
you. It's easy to get sick when you're freezing all the time." Rami, 11,
living in a tent in a refugee camp.

-- "I have two daughters that are sick because of the cold. All my children
are sick." Nadia, 30, mother of five-month-old child, living in an
unfinished building.




Meanwhile, the international aid response remains only around half funded for those who have fled the country, prompting fears that the aid effort will fail to deliver help to many of those who urgently need it. Numbers of refugees pouring out of Syria have already far outstripped official expectations published earlier in the year.

Save the Children is on the ground in Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan, helping thousands of children who have fled to neighbouring countries recover from their experiences and prepare for the coming winter. The agency has launched an appeal for $35.9 million to help fund its work in the region.

Note to editors:

The source for the $200 million shortfall in the Syria Regional Refugee Response is from UNHCR.

Video testimony, b-roll and case studies available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
For further information and for interviews with staff on the
ground in Jordan and Lebanon please contact:
Save the Children Canada
Cicely McWilliam
416-218-1888 (o) or 647-291-1683 (c)
cmcwilliam@savethechildren.ca