The Growing Crisis in Syria

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Spring 2013 — Since the beginning of conflict in Syria nearly two years ago, over a million people, mostly women and children, have been registered as refugees in neighbouring countries. Between December 2012 and January 2013, more than 255,000 Syrians fled the country.

With 4 million people inside Syria who are in need of assistance, including more than 2 million internally displaced people, some 200,000 women will likely be pregnant this year. UNFPA, through its implementing partners, continues to provide clean delivery kits and reproductive health services, including emergency obstetric care and psychosocial support within Syria.

In neighbouring countries, such as Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, UNFPA has distributed dignity kits, trained medical personnel, and equipped clinics and hospitals with equipment and reproductive health kits. The Fund continues to emphasize the specific needs of women and girls that must be factored into humanitarian response to the region.

12 September 2013

Practice Makes Perfect for Future Syrian Midwife

HOMS, Syria — Samira had always dreamed of becoming a midwife. She attended basic training sessions and spent hours practicing delivering babies with a pillow. But one night amidst the fighting in Homs, Syria, the emergency delivery scenario became a reality when her sister-in-law went into labour. more

26 August 2013

UNFPA Alarmed over Impact of Growing Violence in Syria on Women and Girls

UNFPA is concerned about the impact of the recent escalation of violence in and around Damascus, particularly on women, youth and their families in areas under fire. The Fund is also alarmed over raging violence against civilians in other parts of the country, which has forced large numbers of women and girls to flee for safety into Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

17 August 2013

World Humanitarian Day Message

Earlier this year, I met Muneera Sha’aban in Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan. A 65-year-old midwife, Muneera retired years ago, but every day at 6 am, she embarks on the two-hour bus journey from Jordan’s capital, Amman, to the camp near the Syrian border. more

15 August 2013

Jordanian Midwife Delivers for Syrian Refugees

ZA'ATARI CAMP, Jordan — As long as there is an urgent need for her skills, Muneera Sha'aban, one Jordan's first trained midwives, continues to pursue her calling of helping women deliver. The 69-year-old midwife says she enjoys doing her job regardless of all the difficulties she encounters serving in one of the UNFPA-supported clinics in Za'atari Camp for Syrian Refugees in Jordan. more

06 August 2013

Hundreds of Pregnant Women in Homs, Syria Need Help Urgently

With over 400,000 civilians currently displaced around the city of Homs, Syria, particularly in the area of Al-Waer, due to heavy fighting, it is estimated that hundreds of pregnant women may require urgent medical attention. UNFPA calls on all parties to allow medical supplies, particularly drugs, to enter the Al-Waer area and facilitate immediate safe access to women and girls in need of assistance so that UNFPA and its partners can provide life-saving services. more

25 July 2013

Why Isn't Family Planning Prioritized in Refugee Settings?

Pregnancy happens in every community, and war zones are no exception. Sadly,however, access to family planning may be rare. No two conflicts or natural disasters are the same, but difficult pregnancies are seen time and again when communities are forced toflee their homes. more

13 June 2013

Responding to the Needs of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

More than 450,000 refugees have crossed the borders from Syria into Lebanon as of the end of April 2013, according to estimates by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. These refugees — almost 80 per cent of whom are women and children — are taxing the resources of more than 1,000 host villages where they are staying. more

04 June 2013

Providing Safe Delivery for Displaced Women in Syria

DAMASCUS--- Sitting in her bed at the intensive care unit of the Obstetric University Hospital, Dania Kadra considers herself lucky to be alive and to have safely delivered her baby boy. In December 2012, a missile slammed into the house of the pregnant 40-year old mother of three killing her husband and forcing her and her three children, parents and siblings to move from their rural home to a rented apartment in a suburb of Damascus. more

29 May 2013

Born into Crisis: Unwanted Pregnancies in Syria

ZA’ATARI CAMP - When aid workers with the UNFPA speak to women inside Syria - many of them displaced from their homes and living in cramped collective shelters - they say they would rather do anything than get pregnant. “No one wants to be pregnant in the shelters… That’s universal wherever we go,” said Laila Baker, UNFPA representative in Syria. “There is no place to take care of the baby and it’s another mouth to feed.” more

27 May 2013

Midwife Finds her Work with Refugees Challenging and Rewarding

ZA’ATRI CAMP, Jordan –- Holding a newborn in her hands is like “heaven” says a young midwife Ghadeer Taher Horani, who struggled to find the exact words to describe the feeling of delivering babies. Ghadeer, 24, has been a midwife for just two years. the last seven months have been spent with Syrian refugees in the Za’atri camp in Jordan, where she evaluates the health condition of pregnant women, provides pre- and post-natal care, as well as family planning counselling. more