It has been reported that 400,000 Syrian children and young people are now living in Istanbul after they were displaced from their own villages due to war. These children are currently not in education or training and are living in poverty.

Concern Worldwide began working in Turkey in 2013 due to the high volume of refugees there as a result of the Syrian crisis. The conflict in Syria has resulted in the largest refugee crisis the world has seen since the Second World War. Over 11 million people have been displaced by the war – 4.8 million of whom have fled the country as refugees.

Concern’s Work in Turkey

There are over 2.7 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. 10% of these are living in government-run camps, while the remainder are living in both urban and rural areas across the country.

Concern began its response by providing emergency assistance like food baskets and hygiene kits to the large influx of refugees fleeing Syria and crossing the border into southeastern Turkey.

 Today, our main activities include:

·         Vocational training to increase individuals’ ability to earn a living

·         Transportation and cash assistance to make it easier for children to attend school

·         Informal education to help students transition to the Turkish formal system

·         Protection support for vulnerable individuals

·         Engagement with local NGO partners to build up their capacity to contribute to the crisis response.