3 Months After Fall of Assad Regime: Syrians Want to Rebuild Quickly
Women in particular need support
Bonn/Berlin, March 5, 2025. Welthungerhilfe is expanding its project work in Syria to new areas in the provinces of Aleppo, Idlib, and Damascus in order to support internally displaced families as they return to and rebuild their homes. Even three months after the fall of the Assad regime, the humanitarian situation in the country remains catastrophic.
The number of people who cannot get enough to eat on their own has risen to 14.6 million. Asja Hanano, the head of the Policy Department of Welthungerhilfe, has just returned from Syria, where she was assessing the extent of destruction as well as the general mood.
“I am shaken by the ever-present tragedy facing the people of Syria. Almost everyone has relatives caught up in arbitrary arrests. Many of these prisoners have not returned, leaving many women to take care of their families alone.
Things are particularly bad for women freed from Assad prisons, where they endured severe abuse and conceived children as a result of rape. Although no longer imprisoned, they remain traumatized and are now forced to endure a life of shame in the eyes of society.
I was also moved by the fate of women in refugee camps. Having lived in tents or makeshift shelters for years, they now want to return to their destroyed villages as quickly as possible. After almost 14 years of war, they are still alive and are ready to rebuild despite the almost insurmountable challenges,” says Asja Hanano, relating her impressions.
The massive cuts in US aid to Syria are exacerbating the already tense humanitarian situation, with some local organizations having lost around 50 percent of their project funding.
“Reconstruction can only succeed if sufficient financial resources are made available. Women, and the voluntary sector as a whole, must be involved in decision-making at all levels and must play an equal role in shaping these efforts. Their perspectives and experiences are essential for a fair future. There is also a need for space to process their experiences and for developing local solutions,” emphasizes Hanano.
Asja Hanano, the head of the Policy Department of Welthungerhilfe, is available for interview.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; it is politically independent and non-denominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, 1962, 12,128 overseas projects in about 72 countries have been supported with 5.07 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe follows the principle of empowering people to help themselves to sustainably improve their living conditions, offering everything from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organizations.
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