World Vision’s work in the Middle East

We support people in emergencies

We're committed to helping children who live in the world's hardest places. Some countries in the Middle East have experienced decades of conflicts and disasters that have disrupted children’s education, made them fear for their lives and in some cases have to flee their homes.

Thanks to your support, we can respond to emergencies quickly by delivering emergency food and hygiene packages to families affected, as well as provide long term development and support to vulnerable families.

Where World Vision works in the Middle East

We provide long term support to communities in Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza and Lebanon, and have worked for two decades in Afghanistan. We are also working with partner organisations to support the needs of those affected by increased violence in Syria, Jordan, Türkiye (formerly Turkey) and Iraq.

Our work in

Afghanistan

Since 2001, we’ve been bringing relief to people devastated by an onslaught of severe droughts, flash floods and decades of conflict. In 2022, World Vision UK responded to the food security crisis reaching over 300,000 people, half of whom were children. The support included distributing emergency food supplies and kits to help families cope with winter; water and sanitation; mobile health and nutrition teams; child protection services; and longer-term livelihood support so families don't have to resot to reducing meals or worse.

So far in 2023 we are supporting over 90,000 people in western Afghanistan. Nearly 40,000 are children and more than half of whom are women and girls. The support includes access to emergency food, health services and information on services.  

Three children from India smile into the camera, one boy holding a football

Our work in

Syria

Four out of five Syrians live in poverty and too many children don’t know what it’s like to live without war or violence. World Vision UK supporters have helped us raise over £1.5 million to support those impacted by the war in Syria. This has helped protect many Syrians and allowed our work to expand with refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, where we are assisting communities with access to water, food, education and basic health services.

In 2023, a devastating earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria. Destruction is widespread, with many homes and school damaged, and now over 100 structures are used as temporary shelters for displaced people. World Vision is supporting communities and families with access to water and sanitation, education, food, health and nutrition assistance, shelter and survival items, child protection activities, and rebuilding livelihoods. By August, our global response had reached nearly a million people, including over 500,000 children the majority of whom were in Syria.

Support our work in the Middle East

You can help transform the lives of the most vulnerable children

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Syria crisis - 13 years on

Millions of children are still suffering. Donate to help Syrian children today.

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Help children in Afghanistan

A devastating earthquake has added to the crisis in Afghanistan. Find out how you can help.

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Responding to emergencies

When war and disasters happen, we respond with immediate relief and long-term rebuilding.

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How you can help

Choose how you want to have an extraordinary, positive impact on vulnerable children's lives.

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We all have a responsibility to the children of Syria: to help rebuild their country... and to protect their rights – to an education, to a childhood.

Justin Byworth

Global Humanitarian Director, WVI

Protect children caught in emergencies

World Vision has a presence in almost 100 countries which means we can act quickly to help children in the world’s most dangerous places. We help people to survive - through providing life’s essentials like food, water and shelter; to recover from trauma they experienced, and to equip them to rebuild their future.

Because of World Vision supporters funding projects like our Emergency Response, when disasters strike, we can spring into action in less than 72 hours and provide life-saving support to children and their families.

Syrian children sit around their grandfather who is smiling at them

Abu's Story

Conflict took everything

Abu Hashim*, 66, and his eight children and six grandchildren currently live in a displacement camp in Northwest Syria. Abu and his family had a good livelihood before war broke out, “We had our own house once, our piece of land and crops of olive trees,” says Abu.

The war caused them to lose everything and for Abu, his family’s safety was a priority. This meant the family had to march to an uncertain reality. Luckily, they reached a town in Northwest Syria and were able to secure a tiny house to live in. It’s not perfect but at least they are not living on the streets.

*Name has been changed to protect identity.

Syrian family surrounded by rubble and wearing coats to keep them warm

Abu's Story

The earthquake made things worse

Like Abu, many other displaced families face similar difficulties. To make matters worse, an earthquake hit the displacement camp and many other parts of Syria, including neighbouring country Türkiye.

“We could barely secure houses but now, they’re wiped out after the quake. Not only that, my grandchildren are traumatised and their education is affected,” says Abu. His grandchildren are among the four million children whose education was disrupted after the earthquake destroyed 822 schools.

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Abu's Story

How World Vision is helping

The earthquake didn’t only affect the education sector, it impacted water supply and caused concern about the hygiene levels in camps. Thankfully, the water provision project, implemented by one of World Vision’s partners in Syria, enables Abu and other residents in the camp, to freely access clean water.

The water station that supports Abu, is one of six found in six camps - they operate for five hours each day using solar power and it benefits 55,500 people living in the camp. It is very beneficial to the community as residents previously had to buy water, and many couldn’t afford it due to increasing prices. “Securing water is not a financial burden anymore. The money I can save now, I can spend on other important needs,” says Abu.

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More about our work

From decades of conflict to the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, the communities we support in the Middle East need the world’s support urgently.

Thanks to the faithful support of people like you, our unique community-based model, refined and expanded over our more than 70-year history, can focus on key areas to ensure that all children, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender experience the fullness of life.

Our work is driven by a relentless desire to transform the lives of children so we partner with governments, peer organisations, institutional donors and businesses so together, we can have a greater impact in the lives of the families we serve. You can learn more about them and our work below.