"The children of Syria have been screaming for help for 10 years and no one listens to them ... the war ends when it ends, not when it is no longer talked about": this is the heartfelt appeal launched by Alessandra Mastronardi, UNICEF Italy Ambassador, in the new video made together to Stefano Pizzi, Head of UNICEF Operations in Syria, in the week of the 10th anniversary of the start of the war.
In the video that tells and testifies to the violence and the consequences of these 10 years on children in Syria, Alessandra Mastronardi recalls: "In 2019 I was in Lebanon to visit one of the Syrian refugee camps in the Beka'a valley where the situation is still all 'today dramatic.
Saying what it is that Syrian children lack is very difficult because Syrian children lack everything.
Syrian children no longer dream, they don't dream because their future has been denied them ”.
"Syria has had no peace for 10 years. Right now 3.5 million children have no access to any kind of school. Together with its local and international partners, UNICEF has managed to rebuild many of the schools destroyed during the war. . But the most impressive thing is when you go out on the field to see the projects we have supported and see the smile that returns to the faces of the children. We continue to lend a hand to return these children to a dignified life, to have a school that can educate them and they can continue to dream ”, recalled Stefano Pizzi, Head of UNICEF Operations in Syria.
Nearly 5 million children have been born in Syria since the start of the conflict, with another million born as refugees in countries close to Syria.
These children have known nothing but death, displacement and destruction.
Children are still being killed and maimed.
Their protection in the country hangs by a thread, there are very few safe places for a child.
Since 2011, nearly 12,000 children have been killed or injured in Syria - one child every 8 hours and nearly 5,700 children have been recruited into the fighting.
The real numbers are probably much higher.
In 10 years of conflict thanks to UNICEF: approximately 900,000 children have received routine or measles vaccinations;
over 400,000 children were reached with psychosocial support;
over 3.7 million children have had access to formal and informal education;
over 5.4 million people have had access to safe water thanks to the upgrading of water supply systems;
more than 55 million people have been reached with information on health and safety measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the humanitarian response will not solve the crisis, it is vital that UNICEF continues to receive the support it needs to provide assistance to Syrian children.
To continue life-saving support operations for children and families in Syria and neighboring countries, UNICEF has launched an appeal for $ 1.4 billion for 2021.
ALESSANDRA MASTRONARDI: Alessandra Mastronardi, has been Ambassador of UNICEF Italy since 2019 and has been close to the organization since 2012.
Over the years it has supported various initiatives and awareness campaigns on HIV-AIDS, against infant mortality (“Vogliamo Zero”), with the UNICEF Orchid, with the March 8 campaign for girls.
He carried out field missions with UNICEF in 2012 in Sierra Leone, visiting projects to prevent maternal and infant mortality and fight violence and abuse against children and in 2019 in Lebanon among Syrian refugee children and families.