Save the Children Australia has launched its largest ever emergency appeal, seeking $5 million to assist children and their families affected by the escalating conflict in Syria. The appeal for funds comes as the number of refugees fleeing the war-torn country soars to more than 5,000 per day.
Leading Save the Children’s global response to the humanitarian crisis that has forcibly displaced more people than in any other country worldwide is Australian Roger Hearn from Melbourne.
Mr Hearn who leads the agency’s response inside Syria and across the region said, “The latest escalations in the conflict mean that we may see even more than the average of 5,000 refugees who are currently fleeing across Syria’s borders every day. More than half of Syria’s refugees are children, many of whom are living in cramped refugee camps, unfinished buildings and makeshift shelters. They all need urgent help.”
“We are calling on Australians everywhere to donate to our appeal so that we can help meet the immediate needs of these children who have already lost so much.”
Since the outbreak of war, the full toll on children includes:
• More than 7,000 have been killed as a direct result of two and a half years of conflict
• More than one million children have been forced to flee Syria altogether
• The United Nations estimates more than two million children have fled their homes and remain displaced inside Syria
• The World Health Organisation has warned outbreaks of diseases such as cholera are “inevitable” among children
• Some 4000 schools have been destroyed, damaged or occupied since the war’s start, almost two million children have dropped out of school in Syria, and in Lebanon only 20 per cent of child refugees attend classes regularly
“The severity of this crisis on children cannot be overstated – this is a children’s emergency and it is essential we get them the aid they need now.”
To donate to Save the Children’s Syria Appeal: • Call 1800 76 00 11 or visit www.savethechildren.org.au
To arrange an interview with Roger Hearn in Jordan contact Annie Bodmer-Roy at 0416 355 851
Notes to editor
· Inside Syria, an estimated 4.25 million people have been forced from their homes, representing almost one third of the population. According to the UN more Syrians are now forcibly displaced from their homes than people from any other country worldwide.
· Between August 31 and September 6 2013, the average number of new refugees recorded by UNHCR is 5,759.
Ian Woolverton
Director of Public Affairs (acting)
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Level 6, 250 Victoria Pde, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002
PO Box 340, Fitzroy, VIC, 3065
Tel + 61 3 9938 2089
Mobile + 61 408 001 167
Email ian.woolverton@savethechildren.org.au
Twitter @iansave
Read my emergencies blog here