Syria Refugee Crisis
The five-year-long Syrian civil war has triggered a massive humanitarian crisis with four million people fleeing the country, seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and across Europe.
A quarter of those seeking refuge in Europe are children. More than 300,000 people risked their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 and at least 2,600 have died in the attempt.
Our relief work focuses on helping Syrian refugee children go back to school, settle into their new lives in Egypt, and recover from the trauma of war.
With nowhere else to go, desperate families are heading to Europe, causing the continent’s worst refugee crisis since the Second World War. Those children who survive the perilous journey arrive physically and mentally exhausted. Due to their age and vulnerability, children continue to face extreme challenges once they settle into safer grounds; the displacement has severe impacts on their health, education, and wellbeing.
In Egypt, we’re currently helping Syrian refugee children and their families with safety, education and psychosocial needs. We’re also aiming to renovate and furnish 40 public schools and provide other educational services in Greater Cairo, Alexandria, and Damietta, for Syrian refugee children - benefiting nearly 60,000 children over the next two years.
We’re also working in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Since 2013, we have helped 9,629 people through education and training programmes and psychological and rehabilitation support in Syria.
"I had to Leave Everything Behind"
“I made a decision that I would not wish on anyone: I left Syria – left behind my family, friends, history and everything I cherished”
Along with her son, Asmaa attended Plan International’s emotional support sessions in Egypt for Syrian refugees. She tells us how the sessions helped her to make new friends, making her and her son’s new life in Egypt to feel less lonely.
Latest
The world's toughest mums
We pay respect to the mums caught up in some of the world’s biggest crises
Adjusting to Life in Egypt
Syrian refugee children in Egypt are living a life of misery, despair and challenging school conditions
Inside Syrian Refugee Camps
Steve has just returned from a visit to the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, read his story
The Syrian refugee crisis in Egypt
Difficult living conditions in Egypt are forcing Syrians to seek a better life elsewhere