UNICEF offers exclusive multimedia on the impact of 10 years of war on Syria’s children

AMMAN, 7 March 2021- On the 15^th of March, the world will mark ten years since the beginning of the conflict in Syria. According to UNICEF, the war -one of the most brutal in recent history- has left a tremendous impact on children and childhood. Today, more than 8.5 million Syrian children are dependent on assistance inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.

“UNICEF is making available exclusive multimedia material that we collected over the past ten years since the crisis began in 2011. Media around the world can use it to shed light on the huge impact the war has had on Syria’s children,” said Juliette Touma, UNICEF’s Regional Chief of Communications for the Middle East and North Africa, overseeing and managing UNICEF’s “Syria 10” campaign.

The available material from UNICEF includes videos, photos, visuals, raw footage (B-roll) and most importantly interviews with children to amplify their voices, hopes, aspirations and dreams.

10:10:10- Ten children: Ten years: Ten stories: A series of 10 interviews with children with whom UNICEF had met since 2011. UNICEF’s crews in 2021 went back to track down children and interviewed them again. Some children continue to be in Syria, some are refugees in neighbouring countries like Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, while others are now outside the region.

“I lost my leg during the war, but I would like to become a gymnastics teacher when I grow up.” Saja, an 18-year-old girl in Aleppo with a physical disability who continues to train and work out, UNICEF interviewed her three times since 2015. From UNICEF’s “10:10:10” project.

Ten most compelling photos: Over the past ten years, UNICEF has been documenting the impact of the war in Syria on children through thousands of photos. UNICEF is making available a selection of its archive of photos. UNICEF is posting ten albums on its social media platforms and is asking audiences to choose the most compelling photo from each of the years starting with 2021 and going back to 2011. The ten most compelling photos will be made available on the week of 15 March 2021.

Ten postcards from Syria’s children: UNICEF is posting 10 postcards from Syria’s children on its social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The postcards include quotes from children featured and interviewed in UNICEF’s stories over the past 10 years. We are asking our audiences to write back a small note to Syria’s children.

"I miss everything in Syria. Syria is my home, and I will never forget it … One day I'll fly out of this camp." Ahmed, 16 years old, Za’atari Camp - Jordan, 2015. Ahmed is now pursuing his undergraduate studies in Canada.

Visualizing Syria: A series of drawings and infographics that will depict the impact the war has had on Syria’s children through drawings and infographics. This project aims at visualizing the data that UNICEF collected over the past decade on the war in Syria. This includes killing and maiming, attacks on schools and health facilities, children in need, child refugees and negative coping mechanisms like child marriage and child recruitment among other data.

“The story of Syria’s children deserves to be told in every way possible. The material available can be used for high-quality broadcast media and for digital and online platforms to highlight the immense impact the war has had and equally the determination, courage, hopes and aspirations of Syria’s children,” concluded Touma.

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To request the material and for technical support:

Philip Hazou, UNICEF MENA Regional Office, phazou@unicef.org, +962-79-704-6673

Faris Amer, UNICEF MENA Regional Office, famer@unicef.org, +962-79-008-2531

Suzan Moody, UNICEF Geneva, smoody@unicef.org, +41-79-680-83-98  

Karam Shalabi, UNICEF MENA Regional Office, aalshalabi@unicef.org, +962-79-281-86-06

For more information and for interview requests:

Hasan Nabulsi, UNICEF MENA Regional Office, hnabulsi@unicef.org, +962-79-585-2711

Salim Oweis, UNICEF MENA Regional Office, soweis@unicef.org,  +962-799-36-52-12