Middle East Earthquakes
Catastrophic earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, claiming tens of thousands of innocent lives, damaging homes and infrastructure, and bringing more instability to a region already enduring crisis. Read about Humanity & Inclusion's emergency response.
Humanity & Inclusion in Syria
Since the summer of 2012, Humanity & Inclusion has responded to the violent Syrian crisis. HI’s volume of intervention and level of humanitarian access in Syria had been continuously growing since 2012. The merge separate geographical programs into a unified Syria mission in July 2016 has allowed for the pooling together of resources and expertise and for defining a unified strategy and methodology of intervention for the whole country.
Northwest Syria: HI launched its intervention from Turkey in November 2012, opening a field base in the northern Idlib governorate. HI opened a second field base in the northern Aleppo governorate in April 2015. Both bases are active in 2022 through remote management of HI local staff and partnerships with local actors. HI opened a third field base in eastern Aleppo governorate (Kobane) in May 2015, through direct management of HI global and local staff, but this base was closed in March 2016 due to loss of cross-border access.
Central Syria: HI launched its intervention from Lebanon in March 2013 through remote management of partnerships with local actors. Several HI partners closed their programs in former opposition-controlled areas of rural Damascus and rural Homs during the first half of 2018, due to their takeover by the GoS. In 2022, three partners of HI are still active in Damascus, Homs, Aleppo and Dar’a governorate.
North-East Syria: HI launched its intervention from Iraq in December 2016 through direct management of HI global and local staff. HI is active in Hasakeh, Raqqa and Deir ez Zor governorates with projects in health, land release, and inclusion. HI works directly with program participants and through local partners.
In 2020, the Syria program initiated a major phase of transition, firstly with the application of ROOTS transformation to the program, and secondly due to a progressive yet substantial reduction in donor funding in response to the Syrian crisis. As the context changes, the Syria program's geographic and programmatic footprints are expected to evolve.
Read our statement on the military incursion in northeast Syria (October 2019)
Read the "Explosive ordnance in Syria: impact and required action" report (May 2022)
Areas of Intervention
- Health and prevention
- Mental health and psychosocial support
- Rehabilitation
- Protection and risk education
- Armed violent reduction
- Social and economic inclusion
HI's teams provide individual and group support sessions to people with disabilities and their caregivers to promote inclusion in the community and humanitarian aid response. People with disabilities and injuries receive tailored physical and functional rehabilitation care.
After 12 years of war, Syria is contaminated with explosive ordnance. HI's specialists clear these weapons to make land safe and conduct risk education training sessions to teach residents how to spot, avoid and report these threats.
In addition to working in Syria, HI's specialists also support Syrian refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and other nearby countries.
