One year ago, the end of Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule marked a historic moment that raised hopes that Syria was on the path toward peace and recovery. Yet the reality remains devastating. Fighting continues in the north and south, and the humanitarian crisis is far from over. Today, nine out of ten Syrians live below the poverty line. Nearly 17 million people require urgent assistance to survive, and more than nine million face acute food insecurity.
“I am very grateful that Lebanon has taken us in, but I hope that the situation in Syria will improve so that we can return,” says Rima Mansour, who fled from Tartus with her husband and eight children to Akkar, Lebanon—just ten kilometres from the Syrian border.
She left three months after the political change, when summary executions on a sectarian basis forced more than 80,000 people to flee. Now, she and her family live in a single room where 10 people are forced to share a mattress and some blankets. They depend on humanitarian aid for food, drinking water and medicine.
Rima’s story represents thousands of families whose lives have been on hold for years.
A Country in Crisis: Violence, Hunger and Destroyed Infrastructure
Inside Syria, conditions remain dire. More than 6.9 million people are internally displaced, many unable to return home due to ongoing violence, landmines and the risk of kidnapping.
Large parts of the country’s cities lie in ruins. Basic services barely function. Healthcare is critically limited: just over half of the nation’s hospitals remain operational. Hunger, drought and contamination from unexploded ordnance continue to devastate agricultural production.
Although nearly two million people have returned since December 2024, reconstruction needs remain immense and overwhelmingly underfunded.
Action Against Hunger has been active in Syria since 2008
Since 2008, Action Against Hunger has been working in Syria and responding growing humanitarian needs. As the crisis escalated, our teams have expanded emergency assistance while working to bolster the long-term resilience of vulnerable communities.
Our teams have restored access to clean water by repairing damaged systems, organising water trucking and providing hygiene education. Families have received cash support to cover essential needs, while small-scale farmers and herders have benefited from seeds, tools and technical training.
We have rehabilitated health facilities, deployed mobile medical teams and delivered targeted nutritional assistance to prevent and treat acute malnutrition.
Action Against Hunger Calls for Scaled-Up International Support
Action Against Hunger urges the international community to significantly increase funding for life-saving food security programs; accelerate the rebuilding of essential services such as healthcare, water and sanitation; and strengthen Syria’s agricultural sector.
This includes providing farmers and livestock owners with cash assistance, seeds, tools and feed, as well as supporting climate-resilient and sustainable food production systems that can revive Syria’s long-term self-reliance.