Hand in Hand for Syria was set up by a group of people in the UK who were becoming increasingly concerned about the effects of the conflict on the people inside Syria. Most of the team was either born in the UK of Syrian parentage or are Syrians living in Britain.

PROBLEM

Syria’s healthcare system is now crippled — with hospitals destroyed and severe shortages of drugs and equipment. Horrific injuries are going untended; women are giving birth with no medical assistance; men, women, and children are undergoing life-saving surgery without anesthetic. According to WHO, 37% of Syrian hospitals have been destroyed and a further 20% severely damaged.

Huge numbers of children have been forced to leave home far behind. Some families send their unaccompanied children over the border in the hope of finding safety. In the chaos of fleeing, vast numbers of children are orphaned or separated from one or both parents. Untold thousands are trying to survive without the protection of family.

SOLUTION

Hand in Hand for Syria has links with over 100 of the field hospitals across the country. They regularly send vital shipments of medicines, consumables and medical equipment to field hospitals, first-aid points and clinics around Syria. In some areas they have set up new hospitals, and have delivered everything from anesthetic machines to ambulances. They handle all of the common childhood illnesses and offer vital vaccinations.

Since half of the Syrian refugees are children, Hand in hand for Syria is helping to reclaim children’s literacy and education in the face of extremely low school attendance and starting up a program to offer support to orphans.