̽»¨¾«Ñ¡

Gaziantep, Turkey, February 20, 2023 —  Two weeks since the devastating earthquake hit southern Turkiye, the immense scale of its impact on communities across Turkiye and Syria is becoming clearer. The existing humanitarian needs in northwest Syria in particular have been exacerbated by the earthquake, reaching critical levels the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ is warning. 

An assessment carried out by the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ (̽»¨¾«Ñ¡) in the governorates of Idleb and Aleppo in the northwest of Syria, shows the dire situation many Syrians are now facing. The assessment highlights the priority needs of communities affected by the earthquake and the most effective ways of providing humanitarian assistance. 

All households, which were assessed, reported that their ability to generate income has worsened as a result of the earthquake. Needs are now becoming critical, with 3 out of 4 households reporting insufficient access to food. The majority of those ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ surveyed cited lack of finances as their greatest barrier to meeting priority needs like food, clothing, and household supplies.

The resulting financial strain on households has also had an impact on their ability to access vital services such as health care. More than 70% of respondents said that money was the main barrier for family members to access health care. Distance was another barrier, on average respondents reported that it takes around two and a half hours to reach health facilities. Of major concern was also the fact that, nearly one third of respondents stated that they have no access to a health facility at all.  This demonstrates a clear need for increased health care provision at this time, which is flexible and mobile, to be able to reach those in need as quickly as possible.

Tanya Evans, Syria Country Director for ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ says:

"People in northwest Syria were already in a dire situation, even before this earthquake. Not only do these needs still exist, but our assessment shows that they have clearly been made much worse by this devastating earthquake. Household finances were heavily impacted with nearly 90% of people surveyed stating that they had to borrow money due to the earthquake. Based on the needs we have witnessed on the ground, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ has prioritized cash distributions to ensure households are able to meet their basic needs. So far we have reached more than 7,000 people. 

In response to the assessment, particularly the barriers and distance to accessing health care, our mobile health clinics have been expanded and are currently treating an average of 200 people per day and providing a key lifeline to those who are facing difficulties in accessing health care. With our partners, we are also providing essential medical support through 17 health care facilities, including two hospitals, which serve around 2.5 million people."

Hamed*, Economic, Recovery, and Development Implementation Manager at the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ in Syria says:

"People have gone back to how it was years before, in need of shelter, financial support, psychological assistance and livelihoods to restart their life. The area affected by the earthquake was already home to large populations of internally displaced persons. Now we need to ensure that those previously displaced by conflict, plus people newly displaced by this disaster receive much needed assistance. Providing cash is one way to help cover the urgent needs and help these people get back on their feet."

The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ is calling on the international community to increase funding to help people survive, recover and rebuild their lives. It is critical that aid gets to the most impacted areas and reaches people in need wherever they are and by any means possible, especially in northwest Syria, where communities are at greater risk of being left behind. 

The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ remains committed and is scaling up an integrated response in both Turkiye and Syria, thanks to the courage of our colleagues and the support of our partners in the region. Our immediate response has included the provision of cash assistance and the launching of mobile health clinics to reach those in need. Both directly and with our partners we are providing essential primary health and trauma services through 17 health facilities. We will assist in the rehabilitation of health centers from damage due to the earthquake and we are working to ensure that necessary medical supplies are secured and delivered where needed during this critical time. 

* Name has been changed to protect identity.

Notes to editors:

• In response to the earthquake that occurred on February 6, 2023, the ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ conducted a rapid needs assessment (RNA) between February 11 – 15, 2023, to assess the affected community’s priority needs of protection, health and multi-purpose cash assistance. The survey was conducted in 12 sub-districts in Idleb and Aleppo governorates utilizing a household survey and key informant interviews using a convenient sampling approach. The main findings of the survey were:
  • High food insecurity levels were reported with 70% of interviewed households recording a poor food consumption score (FCS) and 26% at borderline. 
  • 45% of households are in the stressed phase, 17% at crisis phase and 3% at emergency phase. 
  • 100% of household's ability to generate income has worsened.  
  • 87% of households had to borrow money as a result of the earthquake.
• The ̽»¨¾«Ñ¡ has high-quality photos and b-roll clips of the situation in northwest Syria, as well as case studies of people who have been affected by the earthquake. The content includes our cash distributions and health mobile clinics interventions.