Rescue & Medical Care
Crisis Relief for Syria
- Location Syria
- Timeframe March 2018 - Present
- People Christians , Kurds , Yezidis , Arab tribes of NE Syria
- Project Goal $1,350,000
Rescue & Medical Care
Syria is once again facing a rapidly escalating humanitarian crisis as the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launches attacks on the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES). Heavy airstrikes, shelling, and ground assaults have displaced thousands, destroyed vital infrastructure, and left communities cut off from essential resources. Minorities—Christians, Kurds, and Yezidis—are especially vulnerable, seeking safety in overcrowded camps and makeshift shelters.
This renewed wave of violence is worsening an already fragile situation, leaving millions struggling to survive.
The situation is dire:
Urgent assistance is needed now to provide food, shelter, medical aid, and emergency relief.
Shai Fund is working with its local teams to provide:
Your support can means the difference between survival and suffering.
Shai Fund is actively responding to the humanitarian crisis across Syria, providing critical aid to families affected by ongoing conflict, displacement, and the aftermath of the 2023 earthquake. Our work focuses on emergency relief, medical care, and long-term recovery to help communities rebuild and thrive.
Since 2015, Shai Fund has been actively engaged in Syria, providing critical humanitarian assistance and strengthening food security across the country. In response to the most urgent needs, we have delivered life-saving food supplies, essential medicines, medical equipment, and hygiene kits to communities impacted by conflict and displacement.
To support the survival and dignity of Syria’s religious minorities, who continue to face conflict, devastation, and persecution, we are implementing an Integrated Food Security and Water Resilience Program, combining sustainable livelihoods, improved agricultural practices, and reliable access to clean water and sanitation.
These targeted initiatives strengthen food security, build economic resilience, and our medical clinic, opened in August 2023, ensures emergency medical care in high conflict areas, helping communities withstand the ongoing shocks of Turkish attacks and displacement.
Airlift of Humanitarian Aid: Supporting Northeast Syria in 2025
In early 2025, we successfully coordinated a large-scale humanitarian airlift to Northeast Syria, delivering 60 pallets of critical aid valued at USD $6.7 million.
This emergency response supported displaced minorities and vulnerable families, including Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Yazidis across conflict-affected areas of Syria.
Through this operation, we provided:
Using trusted local minority networks, the aid reached vulnerable families across the IDP camps of Tabqa, Raqqa, Kobane, Qamishli, and Hassake.
Emergency Aid Following 2024 Regime Change
After the Assad Regime collapsed, we assisted displaced Christian and Yezidi families with emergency aid in North East Syria, Aleppo, and Homs. The life-saving aid included heating supplies during harsh winter conditions, cash, and food parcels. Through this effort 456 displaced families were supported, benefiting 1,620 individuals, helping them to endure the challenges of displacement.
Earthquake Response in 2023
Following devastation caused by the earthquake in 2023, we distributed food parcels and hygiene kits were distributed to vulnerable families in Northeast Syria and Aleppo. We provided 300 food parcels and hygiene kits in Al-Hassaka, supporting 600 families. Additionally, we aided 560 Christian families in Aleppo with food and essential supplies, as part of a broader relief efforts for immediate needs.
Responding to the Needs of Displaced Communities in 2018
In 2018, we responded to the urgent needs of displaced and vulnerable communities in Syria, reaching 1,211 people with essential aid, including food, clothing, blankets, and critical medical assistance. Recognizing the profound impact of conflict on children and families, we also established a safe, family-friendly space with a children’s playground.
This space provided more than just recreation—it offered children living through the trauma of war a protected environment to play, heal, and regain a sense of normal childhood. For families, it created a communal area that restored moments of normality and hope, promoting psychosocial well-being and strengthening community resilience in the midst of crisis.
By integrating safe play areas into our humanitarian response, we supported both the physical and emotional recovery of displaced families, helping to rebuild dignity and foster resilience in conflict-affected communities.
Agriculture Food Security Project 2024
In 2024, we implemented an integrated livelihoods and water security program in Northeast Syria to strengthen food production, enhance water access, and prevent displacement among vulnerable communities.
Our agricultural support targeted 15 farming families with essential seeds, improved farming technology, and a shared plowing machine, enabling farmers to reduce labor intensity and increase crop yields. At the same time, we developed sustainable irrigation systems using solar-powered water wells, ensuring reliable water for farming and household use throughout the growing season.
Water Supply Restoration 2024
Following these efforts, we responded to the severe water crisis affecting the Khabur Valley and surrounding communities.
"We had reached a point where every day was a struggle just to find safe water for our children. Now, we have security—we know we will have water tomorrow. It gives us the strength to stay." — Local resident, Khabur Valley
Between September and December 2024, we delivered 7,760.000 liters of clean water by truck, providing 2,000 liters biweekly to 1,120 families, at risk of displacement due to drought and conflict-related disruptions. To ensure long-term sustainability, we invested in solar energy for water pumping and distribution systems, securing safe water access for both daily consumption and agricultural livelihoods.
Together, these interventions have improved food security, strengthened community resilience, and provided critical support for families determined to remain in their ancestral lands despite ongoing challenges.
Emergency Medical Clinic 2023
In 2023, we opened a medical clinic in al-Qahtaniya, Northeast Syria. Serving the surrounding community with emergency medical care, the clinic has an ambulance, and equipment for internal medicine, pediatrics, and gynecology. It also has a special department for X-rays, laboratory analyses, and a pharmacy.
From June 2023 to December 2024, the clinic team treated 13,676 patients, among them 3,342 emergencies. On average, each day the clinic treats 25-30 patients. The clinic is currently treating 4,880 patients per year, including 1,115 emergency cases (in 2024). In the aftermath of the devastating 2023 earthquakes, we rapidly deployed essential medical supplies across Syria’s most affected governorates, including Damascus, Lattakia, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, and Raqqa.
Emergency Earthquake Response 2023
This urgent intervention restored critical access to life-saving medications for vulnerable religious minority communities, ensuring continuity of care and preventing further deterioration of health in the wake of the crisis. Alongside the distribution of essential medicines, we provided urgent surgical care for 12 patients who sustained serious injuries during the 2023 earthquake in Syria. These procedures addressed critical medical conditions such as fractures, joint injuries, and spinal damage, which, if left untreated, would have led to severe complications or permanent disability.
By delivering timely surgical interventions, we stabilized patients' conditions, alleviated acute pain, and reduced the risk of long-term health deterioration. This immediate response helped prevent secondary health crises in an already overstretched medical environment, ensuring patients received the necessary care during a period of immense strain on Syria’s healthcare system.
Strengthening Econoimc Resilience in Post-Earthquake Syria 2023
In response to the devastation caused by the 2023 earthquake, we invested USD $40,000 in a targeted livelihoods development program to restore economic stability for communities across Syria. This initiative prioritized vulnerable families directly affected by the earthquake and religious minorities, by providing them with the tools and support necessary to rebuild their businesses, restore income streams, and contribute to the economic revitalization of their regions.
The program focused on:
By building self-reliance and economic recovery, this project has helped restore dignity and opportunity for those deeply affected by the earthquake. Families who lost everything now have sustainable sources of income, contributing to the longer-term recovery of the region and reinforcing community cohesion amidst ongoing challenges.
We must act urgently to provide relief to vulnerable religious minorities fleeing violence and persecution. With your partnership, we can:
As winter approaches, those fleeing violence will face not only conflict but freezing temperatures and limited resources. Your donation today can mean the difference between survival and despair for these families.
Time is of the essence. Each passing day puts more lives at risk.
Act now to stand with these families.
Chris Mitchell of CBN News interviews Shai Fund's President, Charmaine Hedding, following the collapse of the Assad regime in Damascus. While the leader of the main faction of Syria’s rebel forces is pledging no new war, a democratic enclave in northeast Syria that is home to Kurds, Yazidis, and Christians is being attacked by a proxy army of Turkey.
