Toqa’s collection of woolly hats is one of few things she took with her when her family fled their home in Syria. It's one of few reminders of the home she left behind before coming to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. Determined to become a doctor, she's at the top of her class at school where WFP provides nutritious snacks to children like her.

Last September a bomb landed on a mosque in the once-gorgeous city of Aleppo in Syria. Its dome crashed into an adjacent home, where 42-year-old Mariam was preparing dinner for her nine children. The collision caused the sizzling oil on the stovetop to splatter all over then five-year-old Fatimah, who was standing in the kitchen with her mother.

The burn was so severe that if she does not undergo surgery soon, she will lose her left hand.

One refugee in two is under 18. How will the young Syrians recover?

Memories of the past and fears of the future

By Patrick Wells BAB AL SALAMA, Syrian Arab Republic, 23 April 2013 – Last November, Bassam Guan, a 35-yearold father of four, left for work at a freezer plant in his hometown of Marea in the northern part of Syria. His family never saw him again. That afternoon, the plant was bombed. Mr. Guan and nine of his colleagues died in the explosion.

The conflict in Syria remains extremely intense. Frontlines continue to shift. The medical system is in shambles. An estimated 6.8 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, but whole enclaves are cut off from assistance of any kind.

Despite the very real challenges of operating in the country, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is now running four hospitals inside Syria and is increasing mobile clinic activities to the extent possible. Simultaneously, the organization is actively seeking to open new projects where it is safe to do so.

The education of many Syrian children has been severely disrupted since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. Displacement and the destruction of many schools in Syria means children have missed valuable months or even years of schooling, up to two years in areas of intense fighting. Regular education offers a daily routine and is fundamental in giving a much needed feeling of normalcy in the lives of children who have been through so much. It also provides a safe place for children to spend their time, helping to protect them from exploitation.

This document provides complex coverage of global events from 16 – 22 April 2013 with hyperlinks to source material highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. For more information on the topics below or other issues pertaining to events in the region, contact the members of the Complex Coverage Team or visit our website at www.cimicweb.org.

Inside this issue

Iraq 1

Mali 2

Syria 3

IED/Demining 5

24/04/2013 - Every time I check UNHCR’s page where all the newest data, reports and statistics are gathered and updated around the clock, the number of refugees has risen. One of those numbers is Hiba whose children are confined to the tiny apartment, apart from when they go to Save the Children and (European Commission’s Department for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection) ECHO’s psychosocial support workshop. Reem’s name is also behind one of those numbers, waiting to be registered with UNHCR. She tells me she’s lost count of those she’s lost, among them her husband and cousins.

By Toby Fricker

A new playground in Za’atari refugee camp provides much-needed relief for Syrian refugee children.

ZA’ATARI, Jordan, 22 April 2013 – There’s excitement in the air – hundreds of children are waiting for the official opening of Za’atari refugee camp’s fifth playground.