Mercy Corps: Conditions in Eastern Ghouta Worsen by the Day

Global organization urgently calls for safe access to deliver aid

AMMAN, Jordan — Conditions for civilians in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta region continue to deteriorate, according to the global organization Mercy Corps. Through its local partners in the Damascus suburb, Mercy Corps has reached thousands of people with clean water, food and other essential supplies since mid-February when the violence escalated again.

“We have seen nothing but carnage in response to the Security Council’s resolution calling for a halt to the massacre in Eastern Ghouta,” says Arnaud Quemin, Country Director for Syria. “Conditions worsen each day. People are fleeing from one shelter to another as the frontlines move.”

A United Nations convoy has reached some civilians in Eastern Ghouta with emergency supplies. With some 400,000 people in need, those goods reached only a fraction of those in need and will soon run out. The supplies Mercy Corps is delivering come from existing stocks, not from the recent convoy.

“Explosions have collapsed underground shelters and buried those hiding there under rubble. Our partners tell us families are reduced to drinking unsafe water, which will only worsen their already poor health,” says Quemin. “No single convoy can solve this situation; we must have safe and regular access to save lives.”

In the past year, Mercy Corps has met the urgent needs of more than 950,000 people across Syria by distributing emergency cash, food and supplies, increasing access to clean water and sanitation, creating safe spaces for children and empowering people to find new ways to earn an income.

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