Syria Relief
{{short description|Humanitarian organization}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Syria Relief
| image = Syria Relief aid worker delivering aid August 2020.jpg
| caption = Syria Relief aid worker carrying an emergency foodpack, Beirut, August 2020
| founder =
| type = International NGO
| founded_date = 2011
| headquarters = Manchester, United Kingdom
| coordinates =
| origins =
| key_people = CEO: Othman Moqbel{{Cite web|url=https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/voices/othman-moqbel-in-ten-years-syria-relief-aid-has-gone-from-a-tiny-group-of-volunteers-to-become-the-largest-syria-focused-uk-charity.html|date=2021-03-31|website=Civil Society|access-date=|title=Othman Moqbel: In ten years Syria Relief has gone from a tiny group of volunteers to become the largest Syria-focused UK charity|last=Moqbel|first=Othman}} Chair of Trustees: Ayman Jundi
Head of Communications and Advocacy: Charles Lawley{{Cite web|last=Ahmed|first=Kaamil|date=2021-03-01|title=More than 75% of Syrian refugees may have PTSD, says charity|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/01/more-than-75-of-syrian-refugees-may-have-ptsd-says-charity|access-date=2021-05-24|website=The Guardian|language=en-GB}}
| area_served = Syria
| products =
| services =
| focus = Emergency Relief, Health, Education, Orphans and Child Welfare
| mission =
| method =
| income = £22.1 million (2018){{cite web|url=https://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details?regid=1143797&subid=0|title=Data for financial year ending 31 December 2018, Syria Relief}}
| disbursed = £21.8 million
| endowment =
| num_volunteers =
| num_employees = 1,700{{cite web|url=https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/51533/syria-relief|title=SYRIA RELIEF, EDM #1064}}
| num_members =
| subsid =
| owner =
| motto =
| former name =
| homepage = {{URL|www.syriarelief.org.uk/}}
| dissolved =
| footnotes =
}}
Syria Relief is the largest Syria-focused NGO in the United Kingdom. {{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/syria-conflict-idlib-children-death-toll-brexit-yemen-china-us-russia-trump-a9062101.html|title=More than 200 children have died in Idlib since April yet we are forgetting about the Syrian conflict|last=Moqbel|first=Othman|date=2019-08-17|website=Independent|access-date=}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bond.org.uk/about-us/members/syria-relief|title=Syria Relief|last=|first=|date=August 2015|website=bond|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/no-school-go-back-impact-airstrikes-syrias-schools|title=No School To Go Back To: The Impact of Airstrikes on Syria's Schools|date=2019-09-04|website=Syria Relief|access-date=}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/billboard-dad-sunny-araf-wants-15990469|title='Billboard dad' Sunny Araf wants to take Brummies to Lebanon to help Syrian refugees|last=Chamberlain|first=Zoe|date=2019-03-19|website=BirminghamLive|access-date=}} The charity operates a total of 306 schools in Syria, more than any other NGO,{{Cite web|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/syria-relief-announce-107-new-schools-through-partnership-chemonics|date=2019-11-15|website=Syria Relief|access-date=|title = Syria Relief announce 107 new schools through partnership with Chemonics}}{{cite web |title=Register |url=https://www.facebook.com/syriareliefcharity/photos/a.204114199703634/3504674836314204/ |via=Facebook |access-date=30 July 2023 |language=en |url-access=limited}} and 14 hospitals and healthcare centers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.buxtonadvertiser.co.uk/news/people/chapel-en-le-frith-humanitarian-reflects-on-ten-years-of-horrors-in-syria-after-returning-from-aid-mission-3173563|date=2021-03-22|website=Buxton Advertiser|access-date=|title=Chapel-en-le-Frith humanitarian reflects on ten years of horrors in Syria after returning from aid mission|last=Ball|first=Lucy}}
Humanitarian programmes
As well as distributing aid and monitoring displacement,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-45494424|title=Idlib hospitals at breaking point in last rebel stronghold|last=Evans|first=Gareth|date=2018-09-28|website=BBC|access-date=}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/02/syria-civilians-face-familiar-threats-rebel-held-areas-190216090203889.html|title=Syria: Civilians face familiar threats in rebel-held areas|last=Vohra|first=Anchal|date=2019-02-16|website=Al Jazeera|access-date=}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/05/16/childrens-blast-injuries-handbook-shocking-testimony-failure-adults-9557119/|title=Children's blast injuries handbook is 'shocking testimony to failure of adults'|last=Mills|first=Jen|date=2019-05-16|website=Metro|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/191233/first-manual-child-blast-injuries-launched/|title=First manual on child blast injuries launched by Imperial and Save the Children|last=Brogan|first=Caroline|date=2019-05-16|website=Imperial College London|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/05/16/uk-doctors-launch-guide-for-syrian-medics-battling-to-save-childrens-lives/|title=UK doctors launch guide for Syrian medics battling to save children's lives|last=|first=|date=2019-05-16|website=Israel Hayom|access-date=}} Syria Relief have also pushed for DfID to fund 3D printed prosthetic limbs for children in Syria who have become victims of the conflict.{{Cite web|url=https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/syria-relief-appeals-for-3d-printed-prosthetics-for-children-140346/|title=Syria Relief Appeals for 3D Printed Prosthetics for Children|last=Iftikhar|first=Umair|date=2018-09-24|website=3D Printing Industry|access-date=}}
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."{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-49933653|title=Seven injured in Syria charity shell attack|date=2019-10-04|website=BBC|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/seven-injured-shell-attack-medical-17034674|title=Seven injured in Syria charity shell attack|date=2019-10-05|website=Manchester Evening News|access-date=|last=Slater|first=Chris}} In February 2020, another of Syria Relief's healthcare centres was destroyed and a member of staff was killed in an air strike.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/hospital-caught-in-idlib-crossfire-runs-out-of-money-and-hope-hhk6ws3ks|title=Hospital caught in Idlib crossfire runs out of money and hope|date=2020-02-21|website=The Times|access-date=|last=Spencer|first=Richard}}
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/01/22/syria-cluster-munition-attack-school|title=Syria: Cluster Munition Attack on School|date=2020-01-22|website=Human Rights Watch|access-date=}}
As of November 2019 their humanitarian aid programmes includes:
- Running 3 hospitals, 2 mobile clinics, 3 primary health centres, 7 family planning clinics and a prosthetic limbs centre, helping over 250,000 people each year.
- Running 159 schools, with organisations such as Save the Children and UNICEF, helping approximately 55,592 children.
- Providing vocational training, cash for work and small business support and rehabilitation of farming, oil production and water treatment, helping nearly 20,000 people.
- Providing clean water facilities for over 1.5 million people.
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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2020-08-11/manchester-aid-workers-helping-people-of-beirut-following-last-weeks-explosion|title=Manchester aid workers helping people of Beirut following last week's explosion|date=2020-08-11|website=ITV News|access-date=}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/tameside-covid-19-response-service-provides-vital-aid-to-local-community/|title=Tameside Covid-19 response service provides vital aid to local community|date=2020-06-11|website=In Your Area|access-date=}}
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. 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/21/syria-war-hope-reporting-daily-horrors|title=I've spent years reporting from Syria. The world has tuned out, but hope still exists|last=Firth|first=Sara|date=2019-08-21|website=The Guardian|access-date=}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/24/david-nott-war-doctor-extract-aleppo-gaza-syria-surgeon|title=David Nott: 'They told me my chances of leaving Aleppo alive were 50/50'|last=Nott|first=David|date=2019-02-24|website=The Guardian|access-date=}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/51533/syria-relief|title=SYRIA RELIEF EDM #1064|last=|first=|date=2018-03-13|website=UK Parliament|access-date=}}
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.
References
{{reflist}}
- {{Cite web|last=Clements|first=Hannah|date=2020-08-18|title=Manchester Based Charity Attending to Beirut Blast Victims|url=https://manchesternews.com/manchester-based-charity-attending-to-beirut-blast-victims/|access-date=2020-08-21|website=Manchester News|language=en-GB}}
Category:Humanitarian aid organizations
Category:2011 establishments in the United Kingdom