U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford testifies on “Crisis in Syria: The U.S. Response” before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C. on March 20, 2013. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rm/2013/206455.htm

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, and Syria Deeply discuss aid to Syria during a Google+ Hangout on March 19, 2013.

About the Author: Rebecca Gustafson serves on USAID’s Syria Response Management Team.

In January 2013, a mortar shell struck an apartment in Dar’a Governorate. A mother in an adjoining apartment grabbed her 7-month old son Dia’a* and ran to check for survivors.

Just as she discovered her brother was killed in the attack, another mortar shell hit the building — this time killing one of her other sons. The explosion also ruptured a water heater, blasting scalding water on Dia’a’s face and right arm.

Dia’a was rushed to a nearby Syrian government-run medical clinic, where many believe that women and children can safely receive care. After Dia’a received basic aid, a worker at the clinic discreetly warned the mother that they should leave before she and her son were both killed.

The family fled to the Jordanian border and were received by Jordanian border guards, who transported them to Za’atri refugee camp. During the trip, Dia’a… more »

About the Author: Jared Caplan serves as a spokesperson and deputy director of the U.S. Department of State Regional Media Hub in Dubai.

Stop four of Secretary Kerry’s Europe trip landed him in Rome and culminated with an announcement of $60 million in non-lethal assistance to strengthen the organizational capacity of the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC). With this announcement, the United States is now providing more than $115 million in non-lethal support for the civilian opposition. As liberated areas across Syria struggle to rebuild their communities without the support of the central government, this additional assistance will enable the SOC to help enhance the capacity of local councils and communities so they can expand the delivery of basic goods and essential services, fulfill administrative functions, and extend the rule of law.

Significantly, the Secretary also announced that the United States would extend the…more »

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks on Syria with Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi and Syrian Opposition Council Chairman Moaz al-Khatib in Rome, Italy on February 28, 2013. A text transcript can be found at http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/02/205457.htm.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers remarks to the press on Syria in Rome, Italy on February 27, 2013. A text transcript can be found at www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/02/205435.htm.

About the Author: Rebecca Gustafson serves on USAID’s Syria Response Management Team.

Basic personal hygiene is critical to help prevent the spread of illness and disease among displaced Syrians.

After nearly two years of ongoing brutal conflict, more than 4 million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, including some 2.5 million who are displaced from their homes.

In Atmeh’s Olive Tree Camp, near the Reyhanli border crossing in Turkey’s Hatay Province, many of the residents left their homes with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Good basic personal hygiene and hand washing are critical to help prevent the spread of illness and disease, and providing basic hygiene supplies and education was identified as a priority… more »

About the Author: Caroline Raclin is a Special Assistant in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) at the U.S. Department of State. She traveled with a joint State Department-USAID delegation to Turkey, Jordan, and Kuwait January 22-31, 2013.

It was near midnight. We were driving in the desert with no headlights, and Syria was 20 feet to my left. To the right was a mass of shapes — it took me a minute to realize I was looking at 850 Syrians who had just crossed safely into Jordan. One man was carrying designer luggage normally seen in airplane cabins; one girl had no shoes. I walked amongst these scared, war-numbed people, and it hit me that this was only a tiny portion of those leaving Syria.

Roughly 763,000 people have fled Syria — 240,000 to Jordan — and an estimated 2.5 million are displaced internally. Before that night, those numbers seemed horrific, but had little real meaning to me. They are round statistics, indicators of an escalating war. But after hearing a woman recall her husband’s death and a family describe their village being leveled by barrels of explosives, I better understood the scale… more »

Syrians Transition to Safety in Jordan

More: Responding in Times of Crisis — Syria

On January 27 and 28, 2013, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne C. Richard, and USAID Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg visited Syrian refugees in Jordan. They visited the Zaatari refugee camp, a refugee processing center at a Syria-Jordan border crossing, and a food voucher distribution center.

The United States is committed to helping the innocent children, women, and… more »

President Obama announces an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid for those affected by the violence of the Assad regime. This aid from the American people is providing food, clean water, medicine, medical treatment, immunizations for children, clothing, and winter supplies for millions of people in need inside Syria and in neighboring countries.