Syria reaches a grim anniversary in March: eight years of civil war. After half a million deaths, with 11.6 million people forced from home, the nation is on its knees. Caritas is working inside Syria to help rebuild shattered lives.
The civil war in Syria forced Maram and her family to flee without any possessions. Five years later they’re still homeless and yet to return. Security has improved in the capital, Damascus, and the family’s hometown in the adjoining villages in the Ghouta countryside, but the humanitarian situation remains critical. Winter is on its way ...
Lina’s family has suffered death, hunger, homelessness and been deprived of basic necessities because of Syria’s civil war. They live in Eastern Ghouta, an area that had endured “the longest running siege in modern history”, the UN said in a recent report. In April 2013, pro-government forces encircled what was then a militant-controlled area bordering Damascus, the capital ...
To escape Islamic State militants, Fowziah Daher, a widow and mother of four children, hid alone for several days in a Syrian olive field. She and her family had been seeking refuge at a farm when the militants arrived. She told her children to run away without her. The family had just come on foot ...
Blog by Sandra Awad, communications officer for Caritas Syria Caritas Internationalis recently invited us to organise an “encounter meal” in a community with migrants and/or refugees. It would be part of the Share the Journey campaign which was launched by Pope Francis in 2017 and is focused on providing spaces and opportunities to bring migrants/refugees ...
As the Syrian conflict enters its eighth year, it continues to have a devastating impact on millions of lives with nearly 12 million people in need of urgent relief. Caritas Syria is dealing with the crisis every day, supporting those suffering from continuing violence and offering life-saving assistance. Syria is now the largest displacement crisis ...
The battle for Aleppo began in mid-2012. Fighting ended with the government taking control of the whole of the once divided Syrian city in December, 2016. One year after the end of hostilities, families are rebuilding their lives.
By Fabrice Boule’ and Harriet Paterson. Photos by Alexandra Way/Caritas Switzerland Music drifts from the window of a crumbling building as night falls over the city of Homs. Nour Ghozam, aged 12, is singing as elder brother Rafi, 18, accompanies her on the piano. He is talented, he dreams of becoming a musician. She loves ...
Caritas agencies call on western countries to do more to help fleeing Syrians, as more than five million people have been forced to cross borders and register as refugees in neighbouring countries. They warn that a Brussels Conference on Syria this week must prioritise mobilising funds for longer-term development for Syrian refugees. In a joint ...