DAMASCUS: Many Syrian children, both inside and outside the country, cannot imagine a future in their homeland as the conflict there enters its 11th year, a charity said. Between November and December 2020, Save the Children interviewed 1,900 displaced children and their caregivers inside Syria and across Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and the Netherlands. “I wish to live in any country other than Syria, where it’s safe and there are schools and toys.”More than 8.5 million Syrian children are dependent on assistance inside Syria and in neighboring countries, says the United Nations child agency Unicef. Up to 60 percent of children are unable to consistently access or afford adequate food inside Syria, and more than half are missing out on school, the UN says. Of almost 5.6 million registered Syrian refugees outside the country, more than 1 million children have been born in exile, it says.

Source: Manila Times March 11, 2021 16:36 UTC