Still I Rise : Food Packs for Ma’an Syria

CURRENT STATUS : ONGOING

The project aims to cover the distribution of food parcels for an entire year.

Beneficiaries: 75 food packs per month, covering between 73-80 students per month. Each foodpack is designed to support a family with staple food items for one month (based on a 5 person family average).

The objective is to ensure students to have access to food of an adequate amount and quality, while reducing the need to engage in negative coping mechanisms as child labour.

The Current Reality

In Syria educational activities have been continuously suspended due to the insecurity caused by the war, and schools are often used as shelters during and after bombings. As a result, only five schools remain functional in Ariha sub-district, with classrooms overcrowded due to displacement from nearby locations.

More than 300 schools are out of service, impacting 117,000 children and more than 5,000 teachers. Al Dana is also home to 840,000 displaced persons, 58% of whom are children, and the impact on refugee children is even worse.

Why The Intervention of Still I Rise is Necessary

The rapid devaluation of the Syrian pound has created severe economic instability and is making daily life increasingly difficult for IDPs in northwest Syria. This has a disproportionate negative effect on children and others with specific vulnerabilities: child labor, child marriages, and domestic violence have increased. Women, boys and girls, who make up 76% of the population in northwest Syria, continue to be devastatingly affected by the conflict.

For example, more children are likely to be out of school due to the economic crisis, as families struggle to cover the cost of education and may resort to actually harmful solutions such as child labor and child marriage. Rising rates of malnutrition among mothers and children have been widely reported by humanitarian actors working in the field. The education of refugee children is a fundamental right and extremely important for their protection, integration and empowerment.

By elevating forgotten children in a war, we ensure equal opportunity for children around the world.