A Syrian refugee expresses happiness for receiving winter assistance.
The Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) office in Turkey has resumed implementation of the winter relief programme for Syrian refugees in Turkey.
It was launched last winter in response to the instructions of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to provide urgent winter assistance to Syrian refugees.
Represented through the Qatar Development Fund, Qatar offered a grant of more than $30mn - $20mn of which was designated for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and $10mn for Syrian refugees in Turkey. QRC was assigned the task of supervising the programme and delivering the assistance
to eligible beneficiaries.
From the beginning of the winter, distributions were resumed at different Syrian refugee camps in Turkey under QRC’s supervision, in co-operation with the staff of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), based on an agreement signed by the two parties in February 2014.
According to the agreement, QRC would purchase $10mn worth of relief items in accordance with international standards, while UNHCR would distribute them to Syrian refugee families in Turkey.
Accordingly, 7,000 tents were supplied to UNHCR warehouses to be distributed to the inhabitants of five Syrian refugee camps throughout Turkey. A complementary agreement was signed last month to distribute an additional 3,000 tents.
Also, 315,000 blankets were distributed to non-camp Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in eight provinces, totalling 354,745 Syrians. The blankets were distributed as follows: 95,000 in Gaziantep, 83,100 in Urfa, 60,000 in Hatay, 20,000 in Kilis, 30,000 in Mardin, 13,000 in K Maras, 8,900 in Osmaniye and 5,000 in Adana.
QRC secretary-general Saleh bin Ali al-Mohannadi said, “QRC will continue to fulfil its commitments and stand by our Syrian brothers in their calamity. We will spare no efforts to alleviate the suffering of Syrian refugees until they return home, enjoying security and dignity.”
The influx of Syrian refugees into Turkey has surpassed initial projections. According to a recent survey conducted by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, the main government agency responsible for the Syrian operation, about 36% of Syrian refugees in Turkey are accommodated in camps in 10 provinces located in the south and southeast of Turkey, while the remaining 64% are residing in various cities across the country.
The number of Syrian refugees in camps stands at more than 202,000. To date, more than 313,000 non-camp refugees have been registered, although the Turkish government estimates that this number is significantly higher.
Refugees living outside camps face enormous challenges in accessing essential services and their living conditions are often substandard. Arrivals of new refugees are expected to continue, posing major challenges to both the Turkish authorities and humanitarian organisations. Additionally, this will increase the economic and social burden on the host communities.
