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Damascus, Syria – October 2026 – Humanity & Inclusion (HI), with the support of the European Union, has launched a new 24-month humanitarian action aimed at addressing critical gaps in disaster preparedness, health, education, and mine action across Syria. The initiative will support more than 140,000 vulnerable people in Aleppo, Idleb, Hama, Al-Hasakeh, Ar-Raqqa, and Deir-ez-Zor governorates, with a particular focus on children, persons with disabilities including Explosive Ordnance (EO) victims, displaced populations, and communities exposed to conflict and natural hazards.
The project seeks to improve access to life-saving services while strengthening the capacity of communities, local actors, and institutions to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
“Syria continues to face a volatile context with overlapping humanitarian challenges, including displacement, explosive ordnance contamination, and increasing exposure to natural hazards,” said Carolina Rubio, Operations Manager - Humanity & Inclusion Syria mission”. “This action combines immediate humanitarian assistance with long-term resilience-building to ensure that vulnerable communities are better equipped to cope with current and future crises.”
The project seeks to improve access to life-saving services while strengthening the capacity of communities, local actors, and institutions to prepare for and respond to emergencies.
“Syria continues to face a volatile context with overlapping humanitarian challenges, including displacement, explosive ordnance contamination, and increasing exposure to natural hazards,” said Carolina Rubio, Operations Manager - Humanity & Inclusion Syria mission. “This action combines immediate humanitarian assistance with long-term resilience-building to ensure that vulnerable communities are better equipped to cope with current and future crises.”
The project will establish and strengthen Community Emergency Committees across high-risk locations, enabling communities to identify risks, develop contingency plans, improve coordination mechanisms, and access essential emergency supplies. Through inclusive preparedness approaches, women, older persons, and persons with disabilities will actively participate in local decision-making and emergency planning.
A dedicated crisis response mechanism will allow rapid humanitarian assistance should conflict escalation or sudden disasters create urgent needs.
The initiative will address significant gaps in health and rehabilitation services by supporting hospitals and health facilities to provide specialized care for children and adults affected by conflict and displacement.
Nearly 3,000 children experiencing acute malnutrition or developmental delays will benefit from stimulation therapy services integrated into existing health and nutrition programmes. In addition, trauma survivors, including persons injured by explosive ordnance and conflict-related violence, will gain access to multidisciplinary rehabilitation services, psychosocial support, assistive devices, prosthetics, and orthotics.
The project will also strengthen the preparedness of health facilities to respond to mass casualty events and emergency situations.
Children with disabilities remain among the most excluded groups in Syria’s education system. Through this project, HI will work with education partners to improve access to safe, inclusive, and quality learning opportunities for children with disabilities.
The intervention will support identification, enrolment, and retention of children in education pathways while providing assistive devices, adapted learning materials, psychosocial support, and individualized accompaniment. Teachers and education personnel will receive technical support and training to strengthen inclusive teaching practices and improve learning environments.
At national and sector levels, the project will contribute to advancing inclusive education standards and sharing evidence-based approaches to disability inclusion.
Explosive ordnance contamination continues to pose a major threat to civilians and humanitarian access across Syria. The project will deliver Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) to communities and schools in highly contaminated areas, helping children, teachers, and community members recognize risks and adopt safer behaviours.
Mine action activities will also support community preparedness efforts by conducting non-technical surveys and contributing information on hazardous areas to local contingency plans. In parallel, HI will continue supporting coordination among mine action actors to enhance efficiency, strengthen information sharing, and improve protection outcomes nationwide.
The project is expected to directly benefit approximately 140,795 people, including more than 32,000 persons with disabilities. Priority groups include children under five, adolescent girls and boys, persons with disabilities, internally displaced persons, returnees, and survivors of explosive ordnance incidents.
Through its integrated approach, the action aims not only to save lives but also to strengthen resilience, improve inclusion, and enable vulnerable communities to recover and prepare for future shocks.
HI initially launched its response to the Syrian crisis in neighbouring countries, Lebanon and Jordan, in May 2012, and commenced operations inside Syria in November 2012. Subsequently, HI expanded its operations to include Syrian refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan in the summer of 2014. Currently, HI provides physical rehabilitation and psychosocial support to people with disabilities or people who have been injured in the violence, including the provision of assistive devices and prosthetic and orthotic services. HI has extended psychosocial support to the caregivers of people with disabilities. The programme actively promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in humanitarian relief efforts. It also conducts clearance operations and runs risk education awareness campaigns to prevent accidents caused by explosive remnants of war. Since the earthquake on February 6, 2023, HI has been providing assistance to victims and their families, focusing on post-surgery rehabilitation care and psychosocial support.
For more information, please contact
Humanity & Inclusion – Syria Programme
Name: Nahed AL-KHLOUF
Country Director
Email: [email protected]
Disclaimer: This project is funded by the European Union. The contents of this press release are the sole responsibility of Humanity & Inclusion and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
HI is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. We work alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.
