Syria - Since August 2012, IOM has provided over 525,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and others affected by the crisis with essential non-food items (NFIs) in 12 governorates in Syria.

The aid was distributed in Homs (19 per cent), Hama (18 per cent), Idleb (14 per cent), Damascus (13 per cent), Dara (9 per cent), Rural Damascus (7 per cent), Aleppo (5 per cent), Ar Raqqa (4 per cent), As Sweida (4 per cent), Lattakia (4 per cent), Tartous (2 per cent) and Qunaitra (1 per cent).

Vulnerable households received hygiene kits, baby diapers, blankets, pillows, mattresses, kitchen sets, jerry cans, insecticides, underwear, clothing, and disability support kits (wheel chairs and portable toilets).

IOM assisted 35,000 individuals living in public shelters, 320,000 affected individuals in host communities, and 145,000 individuals residing in cross-line areas.

Of the 525,000 assisted, 41 per cent of those individuals assisted were under the age of 18. IOM worked with partners to identify and assist 65,000 particularly vulnerable individuals, this group included the elderly, pregnant women, and people with physical and mental disabilities.

Since November 2012, IOM has expanded staff presence to cover most of the Syrian governorates. With direct presence in the field, IOM staff monitored and directly distributed aid in 397 distributions (91 per cent of all distributions).

In 2013, IOM joined 13 inter-agency convoys to Homs, Idleb, Daraa, Ar Raqqa and Aleppo. IOM completed post-distribution monitoring assessments to all locations where the Organization relied on partners to distribute kits and loose items. The assessments enable staff to identify whether needs have been met.

With over 4.25 million people displaced in Syria, most IDPs and affected populations are dependent on their community, local charities, and humanitarian partners for food, non-food relief items and shelter assistance.

IOM will continue its efforts to reach communities trapped in areas of heavy fighting that have limited freedom of movement and are in need of humanitarian assistance. With large-scale internal displacement affecting an estimated 6 million individuals, the provision of non-food items is essential to provide basic support to families, many of whom carried nothing when they fled their homes.

IOM works in close coordination with partners to ensure that the needs of vulnerable and affected communities are met. As winter approaches and temperatures across the country fall, IOM teams are focusing on distributing winter NFI items, including thermal blankets, to 500,000 IDPs by April 2014.

IOM’s NFI assistance to IDPs and affected communities within Syria is supported by the governments of Canada, Kuwait, Germany, and Switzerland, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), UNOCHA’s Central and Emergency Response Funds (CERF and ERF), and the European Commission (ECHO).

For further information, please contact

Maria Rumman
IOM Syria
Email: mrumman@iom.int