It has been five years since the Syrian civil war first started. Five years since bombings and airstrikes have transformed Syria into a war zone. Five years since over 11 million men, women and children have had to – and still continue to – flee their war-ravaged country.
The Syria Crisis is undoubtedly one of the of the largest political and humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.
Currently, Syria is engulfed in a political conflict which has become even more difficult to understand with the addition of religious rebel groups. Let’s just say that politics and religion do not go hand in hand, as is exemplified by the situation in the Levant.
Due to the ongoing conflict, thousands of innocent citizens have been caught in the cross-fire between rebel groups and the state. As of now over 220,000 Syrians have been killed, 6.6 million are internally displaced, and thousands continue to escape every day in fear of their lives. These are grim numbers.
Imagine living in a place where you don’t know if you’re going to live the next day. Imagine not having a place to call your home. Imagine not having a roof above your head, or food, or clean drinking water. Imagine having your entire life taken away from you.
This is what Syrians experience on a daily basis.
It takes immense courage to salvage all your belongings and sail to another country, in the hope that the host country will welcome you with open arms. Syrians who have managed to escape have been lucky enough to seek refuge in Jordan, Lebanon, Greece, and Turkey. Although these host countries are trying to accommodate the continuous influx of refugees, Syrian children are dying of malnutrition and other diseases. The refugee camps are ill-equipped and often do not have enough supplies for everyone.
