The humanitarian crisis sparked by the 2011 civil war in Syria is far from over.  

In 2024, 16.7 million people are expected to need assistance, the highest number since the crisis began in 2011, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. About 7.2 million Syrians remain displaced, many living in overcrowded camps.

One of the greatest needs is education for Syrian children, whose schooling was interrupted by the conflict.  In 2022, an estimated 2.4 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 were not in school, according to Unicef.  They represent almost half of the country's approximately 5.52 million school-age children. These children are vulnerable to child labour, early and forced marriage, trafficking, and recruitment into armed conflict, said Unicef.  They are likely to miss out on education and are at risk of dropping out permanently. 

The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the economic crisis in the country, resulting in loss of livelihood for many and putting the lives of the most vulnerable, especially children, at risk.   

To help strengthen the protection and well-being of vulnerable children and help them continue their education, Canadian Jesuits International is supporting an initiative by JRS MENA inside Syria to provide learning opportunities to 2,500 vulnerable children who are out of school. The program will also help improve the psychosocial well-being of these children through access to safe spaces and specialised child protection activities.