Syria, 90% of the population lives below the poverty line after more than 12 years of war and an earthquake that devastated the lives of 9 million people

ROME – Also for 2023, the donor countries are making insufficient commitments to deal with the humanitarian emergency in Syria, where 90% of the population lives below the poverty line after more than 12 years of war and an earthquake that devastated the lives of 9 4 months ago millions of Syrians, causing tens of thousands of casualties. It is the alarm raised by OXFAM in the aftermath of the conference on the crisis in Syria which was held in Brussels.

The tragic questions of despair. “Last February’s earthquake is leading the country to economic collapse with an exponential increase in food prices and an unstoppable devaluation of the national currency. 12 million Syrians suffer from hunger, one of the highest figures since the beginning of the conflict, and 6.8 million are internally displaced – said Francesco Petrelli, food security expert at Oxfam Italy – Despite this, the aid needed to deal with the emergency will arrive only in small part this year too. At present, €5.6 billion in grants and €4 billion in loans have been announced for Syrians inside the country and in neighboring countries. A drop in the bucket, faced with the real needs of a population, forced every day to make impossible choices in order to survive:

– buy food or medicine?

– Pushing your daughters to get married or not having the money to feed them?

– Send the children to school or have a roof over their heads?”.

Living without water and electricity. Right now in Aleppo 3 out of 4 displaced people can barely put together one meal a day. In entire areas of the country, the population is forced to deal with the lack of electricity or clean running water. Suffice it to say that over 11 million Syrians do not have access to it. “Our life every day is a continuous struggle to cope with the most normal needs. – says Fadia, 40, mother of three who lives in the rural area of ​​Hama – In the absence of electricity, the small wood-burning oven we have at home is the only way to cook during continuous blackouts. In the evening we use candles or LED lamps, but the light is so low that my children are unable to study. Even getting water is a challenge, given that it is only available for a few hours a week, forcing us to stock up on stocks which then have to be rationed”.

Survivors are truly heroes. “Anyone who can provide for their family right now is truly a hero. – adds Mazen, 56, a small shoe manufacturer from Aleppo – Before the war I earned what I needed to live more than with dignity, today everything is a challenge. Due to the lack of electricity I can no longer use the machinery and I do everything by hand, but it takes twice as long to produce the same amount of footwear. After all, the diesel to run the machines either doesn’t exist or it’s out of my reach”.

Oxfam’s response. The NGO has been working since 2013 to help the population in Syria and refugees who have found refuge from war in neighboring countries. After the earthquake, which claimed more than 50,000 lives in Turkey and Syria last February, Oxfam and its local partners have rescued more than 400,000 Syrians, setting up shelters and distributing clean water or sanitation kits. In the country, Oxfam has also helped to restore water infrastructure, supporting safety checks on buildings to allow people to return to their homes. The needs are enormous and continue to grow, which is why Oxfam aims to multiply its interventions to reach 800,000 people over the next three years.