Syrian refugee crisis
More than one million Syrians have fled the entrenched civil war in their country for the relative safety of neighbors like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. The flow of refugees into camps and host communities continues to swell — far beyond initial expectations — and strain limited resources in the region.
Mercy Corps is helping 500,000 refugees and host community members in Jordan and Lebanon:
- Emergency needs: Providing families who left everything behind with essentials like clothing, blankets, mattresses and infant care supplies. We're also renovating buildings to provide safer shelter.
- Water: Digging wells to distribute water throughout Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp and renovating municipal water systems to support host communities long-term.
- Children: Providing playgrounds, sports activities and safe spaces for children to play at camps in Jordan. We're also leading support programs in Lebanon to help kids through trauma.
- Conflict mitigation: Working to ease tensions and promote cooperation between refugees and their host communities around shared resources and living conditions.
Read more details about our work with Syrian refugees in in Jordan and in Lebanon.
How You Can Help
Your support can help even more families get the water, shelter and support they need to survive this crisis and others around the world. Donate to our Humanitarian Response fund today ▸
All stories about Syrian refugee crisis
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Jordan, Syria: When the basics matter most December 21, 2012
Two weeks ago today, I was drinking Turkish coffee on the floor of a cold, crumbling one-room dwelling in the town of Mafraq, on the Jordanian side of the Syria-Jordan border.
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Jordan, Syria: Improving life in refugee camp December 7, 2012
The Zaatari refugee camp is practically unrecognizable from the giant dustbowl it was when it opened this past July.
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Lebanon, Syria: ‘Here, I feel safe’ November 12, 2012
Laughter could be heard across the yard of the Beitokom Community Center in Baalbeck, as Alaa raced to greet us. The 13-year-old and his family recently arrived from Damascus, having fled near-nightly bombardment, terror and immeasurable personal loss.
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Jordan, Syria: Wells under construction in refugee camp October 12, 2012
With funding from UNICEF and Xylem Watermark, Mercy Corps teams are building a water infrastructure for the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan. This new well will be part of a system that brings clean water to the approximately 25,000 Syrian refugees who now call this home.
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Lebanon, Syria: Kids moving beyond crisis October 9, 2012
We began our first Moving Forward activities in two areas of Lebanon a few weeks ago. The sessions give kids — both Syrian refugees and those from Lebanese host families — a safe, structured place to learn and play away from the current chaos.
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Jordan, Syria: Leena's worries for her children September 20, 2012
I met Leena in the Zaatari refugee camp, near Jordan's northwest border with Syria.
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Lebanon, Syria: Building a community of support for refugees September 12, 2012
Two signature Mercy Corps programs will bring support and healing to young Syrian refugees, their parents, and Lebanese hosts families, all affected by the escalating violence in Syria.
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Jordan, Syria: Zaatari refugee camp rapidly expands August 31, 2012
Less than six miles from the Syrian border, the Zaatari camp opened just a month ago and is already home to more than 20,000 refugees. The most pressing need in the camp is water.
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Jordan, Syria: Securing clean water for Syrian refugees August 31, 2012
Mugar Dumitrache, Mercy Corps' emergency water and sanitation expert, recently arrived in Jordan to assess the situation in the rapidly expanding Zaatari refugee camp, now home to more than 15,000 people.
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Jordan, Syria: Helping young refugees play August 30, 2012
Just six miles south of the Jordan-Syria border, in the middle of a barren, windswept desert, there’s a haven of safety for more than 20,000 Syrians who have fled their homes in recent months.