‘We cannot be wasteful’: Syrian crisis spurs aid innovations

Ten years since the war began, Syrians still struggle to make ends meet as their host nations tackle new economic woes. But aid organisations have developed new ways to get cash to those who need it most.

Millions of Syrians who sought refuge in neighbouring countries in the 10 years since the war began in their homeland are confronting overlapping crises – from the COVID-19 pandemic and mass unemployment to hyperinflation and high debt in their host countries. Almost 5.6 million Syrian refugees are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and more than 5.3 million of them have been integrated into urban and rural communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq. As Syrians have integrated themselves into their host communities, cash assistance programmes have empowered them to prioritise their own needs and decide what to spend their aid funds on — including food, rent, utilities, medicine and education.