Syrian Refugee Hardship

The Syrian Refugee Camp Stimulation raised awareness to the harsh living conditions of the Syrian refugees. I was surprised to find out that 75% of refugees are Syrian women and children. Refugee camps provide free contraceptives donated by health services such as UNHCR to married couples. Despite the availability of free contraceptives, the percentage of Syrian women using contraceptives decreased to 34.5% compared to 60% before the war. This is an alarmingly low percentage and is resulting in many unwanted pregnancies. One baby is born every hour by a Syrian refugee woman. The problem maybe in part due to the lack of awareness of the free contraceptives available at the camps. Furthermore, I was shocked to find out about the limited education available to Syrian refugee children. Only 61% of refugee children attend primary school compared to a global average of 92%. 23% of refugee children enroll in secondary school, and refugee girls are half as likely to attend secondary school as their male peers. Education is an important aspect of future success for Syrian children; however, with limited books, desks, educational facilities, and teachers it is difficult to provide education to a greater percentage of Syrian children. A story read during the stimulation that greatly affected me was about a young boy and the items he chose to bring with him when fleeing his home. Instead of bringing essential survival items like food or water, he chose to pack his books. The young boy was uncertain if there would be schools to attend at the camp so he wanted to be able to study from his books. His main concern was his education which shows the young boy’s determination to learn. Another alarming problem at refugee camps is the shortage of food. There is rarely enough food to go around which leads to fighting amongst refugees. Chronic malnutrition makes the refugees more susceptible to diseases, especially in confined living conditions surrounded by other malnourished refugees. The Syrian Refugee Camp Stimulation pointed out many of the atrocities refugees experience, and I cannot imagine facing the same difficulties and struggles