We are here in Syria

In January 2017, the Syrian government encouraged refugees to return to their homes. However, many cities have been destroyed and access to things like water and medical care is minimal because infrastructure is heavily damaged.

A country in crisis

total population of Syria

of Syria's population struggles to feed themselves

6.7 million people are internally displaced

people in need of humanitarian and protection assistance

ZOA's work in syria

Relief and recovery - both desperately needed

The people of Syria are going through a major crisis. Despite this, over a million people have returned to areas that are relatively peaceful. We try to stand beside them and offer the help they desperately need in a situation where nearly everything is – literally and figuratively – broken.

ZOA currently works with crisis affected communities in Rural Damascus, Daraá and Aleppo. Our activities are targeted at internally displaced persons (IDPs), host communities and returnees. ZOA always seeks to reach the most vulnerable groups, like women, children, elderly, female headed households, persons with disabilities and IDPs. We focus on WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), food security and livelihoods and shelter.

ZOA has been active in Syria since 2015. Before establishing an office in-country, ZOA worked through local partners to reach people in need. ZOA Syria was established in 2019 with an office located in Damascus. Since then we have been reaching out to the most vulnerable people through direct implementation as well as working with local partners. ZOA gives priority to three specific themes i.e. conflict sensitivity, gender and protection.

The impact of our work in Syria in 2020

With a team of 23 staff members, we supported 35,067 people.

Syria Joint Response

ZOA is the lead agency of the Syria Joint Response, a multi-year consortium funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a budget of over 40 million Euro. The consortium of Dutch NGOs has served over 2 million vulnerable people since 2015. Since 2019 ZOA has been leading the consortium in an innovating Cash Based Programming in Syria.

Shelter and Non-food items

In Aleppo, we provide life-saving and life sustaining shelter support. We ensure that homes meet minimum standards and provide a higher quality of living conditions and better protection for vulnerable families. Work includes rehabilitation, repair or upgrade of existing shelters. People in with disabilities are also targeted with protection specific activities. In Daraá, ZOA provides vulnerable households with core relief items and essential Non-Food Items (NFIs). Our NFI activities also include winterization assistance.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

Interventions in Rural Damascus and Daraá include provision of adequate water (quality and quantity) for drinking and hygiene purposes, distribution of hygiene kits and supporting solid waste management systems.

Food Security & Livelihoods

Our activities in Rural Damascus are aimed at providing the means and opportunities for vulnerable individuals to earn a sustainable living and to receive a minimum income. Activities are focused on supporting entrepreneurship and providing vocational training and start-up kits, that match the needs of the job market.

Working together

Donors and partners

We work with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN-OCHA through Syria Humanitarian Fund, OFDA and ZOA Netherlands. We work with Syria Trust for Development, Medair, IRC and GOPA-DERD.