In partnership with local partners Syria Relief and Action for Humanity, Save the Children is providing aid to 4,000 displaced families in Latakia, including 12,000 blankets and 4,000 ready-to-eat rations, such as canned tuna and meat, biscuits, and energy bars.
Clashes in the coastal governorates of Latakia and Tartous this month have forced thousands of people from their homes, with reports of over 1,000 people killed, including children, with the situation in Syria the focus of an annual EU-led donor conference in Brussels.
"The Damascus to Latakia road, which takes two and a half hours, was not secure when we left last Wednesday," says Anas, from Syria Relief.
"Since the events, the internet remains unstable, and there is a shortage of water, electricity, and bread and everyone is still scared."
Ghadi,* 55, from Jablé, a city that was the site of massacres earlier this month, fled the city on 7 March with his wife and three children.
"I do not dare return to my house. There are still dead bodies on the road leading to Jablé and in the city itself. People have not been buried. My house burned down. It was looted beforehand. It's reduced to ashes. I have neighbours who returned yesterday and sent me videos. Until now, we don't know how many people have been killed in Jablé. In my wife's village, 174 people were killed. She lost family members," says Ghadi.
Bujar Hoxha, Save the Children's Syria Response Director says:
"Violence has shattered the lives of thousands of children and their families with renewed fighting taking place across parts of the country in recent weeks. Escalating hostilities this year have also damaged or destroyed important infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.
"Through our local partners, we are reaching vulnerable children and families forced to flee their homes. But the needs are overwhelming. Some victims remain unburied, and children are left as the sole survivors of entire families. As leaders convene at the Brussels Conference to discuss Syria's future, it is crucial to maintain collective efforts to de-escalate hostilities and protect civilians—across the north, south, and west.
"We are committed to continuing to support the lives and rights of children and families in Syria, ensuring they have access to protection, education, healthcare, and humanitarian assistance. Above all, the needs, rights and protection of children, must be prioritised."
Fourteen years ago this month marks the start of the brutal conflict in Syria. Although the situation in most parts of Syria is calmer — and even hopeful — humanitarian needs are at an all-time high. Currently, 16.7 million people – nearly three-quarters of the population – require support, including 7.5 million children.
Save the Children is calling on all parties to ensure children are protected from violence, and civilian infrastructure is spared. Humanitarians must be allowed immediate, safe, unfettered and unimpeded access to all people in need. People seeking safety must be allowed safe passage and be able to return as soon as they deem the conditions appropriate.
Save the Children's emergency work started in the region in November 2024, shortly before the departure of the previous government. This is the second intervention by Save the Children in the Sahel since the government change. Save the Children has been working in Syria since 2012 and is supporting displaced families in Syria, both directly and through local partners, distributing food parcels, water and other critical supplies. The aid organisation is also supporting centres for displaced people and a helpline for families.
