The collapse of Syria’s government has thrown a new twist into what was already a long running humanitarian crisis, with millions of people displaced by the civil war.
It’s creating new challenges for a Santa Barbara based international relief agency which has been providing aid to hundreds of thousands of refugees.
"ShelterBox has been responding to the Syrian refugee crisis situation since 2012. We have been working for the past 12 years supporting over a half million people who've been displaced by the conflict," said Kerri Murray, who is President of ShelterBox USA.
"Half the pre-war population has been displaced in Syria. Half of them are IDP's (internally displaced persons) within the country, and half of them have fled to neighboring countries. So, now what you've seen with Assad fleeing is that you have tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people on the move, not knowing what they are going to face, or even if their home is still there."
"The demand is going to shoot through the roof," said Murray. "You have people on the move again in the country, but you have hundreds of thousands, potentially millions of returnees...and we've heard long queues at border crossings into Syria. That's another element to this displacement crisis."
Murray talked about the needs in the region, which are especially critical during their winter months.
"We are providing basic things like blankets. In the winter months, it's everything from baby onesies, high thermal blankets, to coats and boot to help people survive what is always a very unpredictable, but cold winter in Syria.
The ShelterBox official said what makes getting help into the region even trickier is not knowing what to expect from the new government. There’s a lot of instability in the region. Murray said they are relying on their longtime local partners to keep the aid flowing.
"The government is in a state of transition with lots of different factions. So, there's an incredible amount of insecurity. But, I will say our partners are local humanitarians. They are trusted organizations that have been doing incredible work for years now," said Murray.
Murray said with more than two thirds of the Syrian population now needing some type of assistance, ShelterBox’s resources are going to be stretched. But, she said getting more help to the region is essential.
"How do we scale up to help the additional displaced population? We're looking at things like high thermal mattresses, additional blankets, and hygiene sets. How do we meet people in the moment they are in?" said Murray.
And, part of the issue for organizations like the Santa Barbara based non-profit is the difficulty in raising money to support people impacted by conflicts. It’s a much harder ask than seeking help for people hits by things like earthquakes, or floods.
An estimated 16 million people need some type of assistance as a result of the violence in Syria. Even if the regime change provides new stability for the region, with millions of displaced people and a shattered infrastructure there will be a massive need for aid potentially for years to come.
