Syria is located in the Middle East, on the far western edge of south Asia, and is bordered by Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel.

Syria has been plagued by civil war since March 2011. Today, it is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East. Millions of civilians have been displaced, far from their families and livelihoods. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. 

Insufficient agricultural production and rising food prices are exacerbating the existing food insecurity problem. An estimated 12.4 million Syrians are now food insecure (more than two thirds of the entire population) and 28% of children under five are suffering from chronic malnutrition.

With so many lives disrupted by years of conflict, it is extremely difficult for children to attend school. More than 2 million children are not in education.

Mary's Meals in Syria

Mary’s Meals has been serving school meals in Syria since 2017. 

Our  school  feeding  programme  in  Syria  provides  meals  for  children  whose young lives have been scarred by unimaginable trauma. We work with a partner organisation, Dorcas. 

Every school day, we reach 4,159 children across 12 schools in Aleppo – a city which was under siege between 2012 and 2016. A dedicated team of volunteers prepare all the lunches in one school that has reliable access to water and electricity. The food is then delivered to the other schools in the city.