Six months after the quake
People in Syria are still suffering from the consequences of the disaster. Four people shared their stories with us.
Read moreFor more than twelve terrible years, the war in Syria has raged - an entire generation of children have never known a life of peace. The Syrian war remains one of the worst humanitarian crises of modern times. About 6.8 million people live as internally displaced persons in their own country, more than 5 million people live as refugees in neighboring countries.
There is no end to the suffering of the people: the devastating earthquake on February 6, 2023, further aggravated the situation. More than 15 million people in Syria are now dependent on humanitarian aid. We have been on the ground with our partner organizations since 2012, providing vital emergency aid.
Immediately after the disaster, we sent an emergency relief team to the earthquake region for rapid coordination of aid and, together with our partner organisations, we are standing by the affected people in Türkiye and Syria:
Since the beginning of the crisis, we have been providing life-saving emergency aid to the people in need in Syria - especially in the area of medical care. Together with our partner organizations on the ground, we operate and support hospitals, basic health centers and mobile medical teams. We distribute relief supplies such as blankets, mattresses and hygiene articles and are also particularly active in providing water, sanitation and hygiene within the camps. We also provide psychosocial support.
After years of war, long-lasting animosities and new evictions, the humanitarian situation remains extremely complex and the suffering of the people is overwhelming. The long years of crisis in Syria and the warfare leave many people without prospects, leading to further trauma. Syria remains one of the largest and most complex crises in the world.
The public health system has collapsed. A large number of hospitals and medical facilities were destroyed during the war, the power supply is inadequate and there is a shortage of medicines, consumables and medical personnel.
Many of the displaced people in the Idlib region live in refugee camps and informal settlements. People lack basic supplies such as tents, mattresses, blankets, clean water, food, and medical care.
Our goal is to improve medical care as well as living conditions, especially for internally displaced people.
Working closely with our partners "Hand in Hand for Aid and Development" and "Independent Doctors Association", we are committed to improving health care by operating and supporting numerous hospitals, primary health centers and mobile medical teams. Among other things, we provide the following:
We also advocate for improved drinking water supplies and better hygiene conditions in camps for displaced people:
Financing: German Federal Foreign Office, Germany's Relief Coalition (Aktion Deutschland Hilft), Nachbar in Not (via Malteser Austria), Seliger Gerhard
People in Syria are still suffering from the consequences of the disaster. Four people shared their stories with us.
Read moreEighth grader Ahmad Ali started a fundraiser, raising over €1,000 for people affected by the earthquake in Syria.
Read moreWeeks later, people in southeastern Türkiye and northwestern Syria's earthquake region still live in constant fear.
Read moreWar, drought and rising prices are the triggers of the hunger crisis in Syria.
Read moreAhmed works at a motorcycle maintenance shop near his refugee camp to secure a living and buy medicine for his siblings.
Read moreBatoul is a refugee working with Malteser International and helping other refugees from her country deal with their traumatic experiences.
Read her storyThe war in Syria began in March 2011 and has claimed many lives ever since.
Read moreDoctors in hospitals supported by Malteser International in northwestern Syria report.
Read moreFor many Syrian children living with chronic diseases, the war means also coping with the challenge of their unmanaged health problems.
Read Yusuf's story"A few days after we fled, I learned that our house had been destroyed during the bombing. They sent me a video of it. When I saw it, I felt so bad," says Iman Al-Mahmoud.
Read more"The extent of the destruction is still inconceivable. Although clean-up work is progressing in many parts of Türkiye and reconstruction has begun in some areas, millions of people are left with nothing," explains Dr. Thomas Weiss, Head of Malteser International's Middle East Department. Six months after the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, Malteser International has expanded relief efforts. The need for humanitarian support is still high.
Read moreCologne/Kilis. On the day Ahmed was born, his father died in a hail of bullets. That was at the beginning of the war in Syria. Today Ahmed is twelve years old and has never known a life outside of war, flight, and destruction. He was born in the town of Homs, but his parents’ house was destroyed and so his mother fled with Ahmed and his siblings to Bab al-Hawah near the Turkish-Syrian border. That was also his home when the devastating earthquake hit Türkiye and Syria on February 6.
Read moreCologne/Gaziantep. After the severe earthquake in Türkiye and Syria early Monday morning, the Turkish government has asked the international community for help. The quake had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale. According to reports so far, more than 600 people were killed in both countries. However, the numbers are rising rapidly and the damage to residential buildings and infrastructure is massive. Malteser International (MI) has sent an emergency relief team to the affected region.
Read moreProject regions: Aleppo and Idlib
Partners: Independent Doctors Association, Hand in Hand for Aid and Development
Lena Schellhammer
Email: lena.schellhammer(at)malteser-international.org