Since the conflict in Syria began five years ago in March, MCC has spent about US$34.6 million to relieve the suffering of Syrians, Iraqis and people in neighbouring countries who have been impacted by violence.
Here are examples of ways that MCC has responded:
218,786 school kits
Shahid came to Jordan with her parents and two sisters from a suburb of Damascus, Syria, after her father was abducted and released by the regime military. She and her sisters received MCC school kits, blankets and a relief kit. (MCC Photo/Stephanie Dyck)
140,014 hygiene kits
These girls, whose families were forced from their homes to safer areas in Syria, received MCC hygiene kids that contain a towel, toothbrush, soap and nail clippers. MCC is currently asking for 8,000 additional hygiene kits and 2,000 relief kits. (Photo courtesy of Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches)
126,207 people received emergency food assistance
Khairi, his two daughters and a niece collected food at an MCC-supported distribution in Iraq. After their home area was overrun by the Islamic State group, Khairi and his five brothers fled to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq where they found temporary shelter in an unfinished building. They have lived there for more than a year and a half. Occasionally the brothers can find work in harvesting or construction, except during the summer when temperatures of 45 degrees make physical labour impossible. MCC is currently providing food packages for 750 families for 25 months in this area through its account at Canadian Foodgrains Bank. (MCC Photo)
30,345 relief kits
MCC works through partners to provide access to humanitarian assistance in Syria. Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is one of several partners who continue to work within Syria. This Syrian woman received MCC blankets and a relief kit through MECC. A relief kit provides enough towels, shampoo, toothbrushes and soap, as well as other hygiene supplies, for a family of four or more. (Photo courtesy of MECC)
24,490 individuals received cash transfers for rent assistance
Huseina stands in the door of her new living room, which she and her husband, Sabah, were able to rent in Iraq with assistance from MCC. Before she received rent assistance, she and her family lived in an unfinished building with plastic for windows and doors for more than a year after being displaced from her home in Iraq. (MCC Photo)
6,737 households received a heater and/or heating fuel
MCC partnered with the Syrian Orthodox Church to supply heaters and fuel to help vulnerable, rural Syrian families survive the winter, where temperatures dip near freezing.(Photo courtesy of Syrian Orthodox Church)
507 individuals attended peacebuilding or conflict resolution training
These Syrian young adults participated in an MCC-sponsored workshop in Lebanon called “Religious Freedom in Situations of Conflict.” Using what they learned, participants returned to their communities to promote religious dialogue and peacebuilding, hoping to dampen extremism and sectarianism that has been fostered by the war. (Photo courtesy of Forum for Development, Culture and Dialogue)
290 individuals attended trauma awareness and healing training
Summer camps run by MCC’s partner House of Light and Hope in Lebanon give a positive, safe experience to Syrian children who have been traumatized by their experiences in Syria and their adjustments to a new country.(Photo courtesy of House of Light and Hope)