Fact Sheet: US Response to the Syria Humanitarian Crisis in 2012

Jewish Press News Briefs

The United States stands resolutely with the Syrian people facing dire humanitarian conditions every day as a result of the brutal, ongoing violence that has engulfed the country and spread beyond its borders.
In 2012, U.S. contributions of humanitarian assistance for Syria totaled $210 million. Life-saving food, medical treatment, blankets, and essential winter supplies reached millions of vulnerable people in all 14 governorates inside Syria, as well as refugees outside the country. In Aleppo alone, U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance helped more than 250,000 people in need. Life-saving aid is intentionally not labeled, as not to endanger its recipients or the humanitarian workers bravely working to deliver it.
As the Asad regime continues its bloody repression of the Syrian people, Syrians need our help more than ever. Approximately 60,000 people have died, according to recent UN estimates. Four million people inside the country need medical assistance, food, shelter, winter supplies or other aide to help them survive.

INSIDE SYRIA
Medical Assistance:
U.S. humanitarian funding is saving lives in some of the hardest-hit locations like Damascus, Dar’a, and Homs, including:

• Treating 410,000 patients in Syria.
• Performing over 25,800 surgeries in field hospitals.
• Training more than 650 medical personnel to provide life-saving emergency aid.
• Supporting the delivery of essential medical supplies to treat tens of thousands of sick or wounded Syrians in 2012 through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
• Preventing water-borne disease through ICRC’s provision of water treatment chemicals to ensure access to safe drinking water for approximately 10 million Syrians.
• Immunizing one million Syrian children against preventable diseases like measles and polio.

Food Aid and Household Items:
The U.S. government is working with a range of partners to provide needed household items and help feed Syrians in all 14 governorates of Syria, including in hard-to-reach and conflict-affected areas, through the delivery of:

• Food to 1.5 million people monthly as well as critical nutritional supplements to 225,000 highly-vulnerable children through the World Food Program (WFP).
• Food to more than 1.5 million people and basic necessities and kitchen supplies to over 500,000 people provided through the ICRC in 2012.
• Household items to nearly 350,000 in Damascus and the surrounding area, Aleppo, Hassakeh, Homs, Hama, Dar’a, Idlib, and Qunaitera through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
• Food assistance to 21,600 Palestinian refugee families in Syria and cash assistance to an additional 54,000 families, who face the same displacement and violence affecting Syrian families, through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Shelter and Winter Supplies:
U.S.-funded supplies provide protection and shelter from cold and rain, including:

• Providing shelter to thousands of displaced Syrians and Palestinians in UNRWA schools and other buildings.
• Delivery of winter clothing, mattresses, bedding, and supplies to an estimated 515,000 people inside Syria in some of the hardest-hit locations like Aleppo, Dayr az Zawr, and Homs.
• Provision of 75,000 winter clothing kits and 320,000 blankets to children in Syria through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

IN THE REGION
Over the course of 2012, Syrian refugee numbers increased nearly thirty-fold, from some 20,000 to 600,000. The majority have fled to Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt. We commend the generosity of all countries helping those displaced by this crisis.
Refugee Assistance:
U.S. assistance through international and non-governmental humanitarian organizations includes:

• UNHCR and WFP support to 240,000 Syrians living in camps in Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq.
• Emergency medical care and rent support for an estimated 260,000 Syrians living in host communities in Jordan and Lebanon.
• Programs to address psychological trauma and measures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
• Cash assistance in Jordan to nearly 24,000 refugees not living in camps and implementation of 58 community impact projects across the country to address critical needs in host communities.
• Food vouchers for nearly 200,000 Syrians living in local communities to buy products at markets and stores through WFP. In 2013, the voucher program will be extended to Egypt.
• Dry rations, food parcels, hot meals and welcome meals for nearly 50,000 refugees. In Jordan, more than seven metric tons of bread is distributed in Za’atri camp daily.
• Safe water for approximately 72,000 refugees daily in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq provided through UNICEF.
• Psychosocial support for approximately 18,800 children, informal or remedial education programs for more than 30,000 students, and formal schooling for 4,200 Syrian children at Za’atri camp in Jordan.
• Warm clothes, good quality blankets, and sleeping mats for children provided through UNICEF.
• Primary health care consultations and services to over 5,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

For more detailed information on the U.S. government’s response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/crisis/syria.