The number of children in need of help in Syria since the war broke out more than a decade ago has reached a record high, the United Nations said on Sunday, warning that funding “is running low.”
“Syria’s children have suffered for too long and should not continue to suffer,” the UN children’s agency said in a statement.
A total of 9.3 million Syrian children need help both within the country and in the regions to which they have fled, UNICEF spokeswoman Juliette Touma told AFP.
“More than 6.5 million children in Syria are in need of assistance, the highest number recorded since the beginning of the crisis, more than 11 years ago,” the agency statement added.
In neighboring countries, 2.8 million Syrian refugee children depend on assistance, Touma said.
The war in Syria has killed nearly half a million people, according to estimates, and millions have been displaced since the conflict began with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011.
“The needs of children, both inside Syria and in neighboring countries, are growing,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF Middle East chief.
“Many families are struggling to make ends meet. Prices of basic supplies, including food, are skyrocketing, partly as a result of the crisis in Ukraine,” he explained.
Children are among the most vulnerable to war and the UN has warned that they are bearing the brunt of the impact.
UNICEF explained that it faces a serious shortage of funds to provide aid.
“Funding for humanitarian operations is, meanwhile, rapidly declining,” Khodr said, assuring that “UNICEF has received less than half of its funding needs for this year.”
The number of children in need of help in Syria since the war broke out more than a decade ago has reached a record high, the United Nations said on Sunday, warning that funding “is running low.”
“Syria’s children have suffered for too long and should not continue to suffer,” the UN children’s agency said in a statement.
A total of 9.3 million Syrian children need help both within the country and in the regions to which they have fled, UNICEF spokeswoman Juliette Touma told AFP.
“More than 6.5 million children in Syria are in need of assistance, the highest number recorded since the beginning of the crisis, more than 11 years ago,” the agency statement added.
In neighboring countries, 2.8 million Syrian refugee children depend on assistance, Touma said.
The war in Syria has killed nearly half a million people, according to estimates, and millions have been displaced since the conflict began with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests in 2011.
“The needs of children, both inside Syria and in neighboring countries, are growing,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF Middle East chief.
“Many families are struggling to make ends meet. Prices of basic supplies, including food, are skyrocketing, partly as a result of the crisis in Ukraine,” he explained.
Children are among the most vulnerable to war and the UN has warned that they are bearing the brunt of the impact.
UNICEF explained that it faces a serious shortage of funds to provide aid.
“Funding for humanitarian operations is, meanwhile, rapidly declining,” Khodr said, assuring that “UNICEF has received less than half of its funding needs for this year.”
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