By Perlina Lau
Syria has entered its second decade of war. What started as a pro-democracy uprising has led to 10 years of brutal conflict.
A International Red Cross volunteer stands above the rubble of a destroyed building in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Syria on March 5, 2018. Photo: AFP / Hamza Al-Ajweh
Aid agencies are renewing their calls for support; asking the world not to forget a war that has killed an estimated 465,000 people and displaced more than 13 million people.
In 2011, anti-government uprisings and people power swept across the Arab world.
After 15 boys were detained and tortured for writing graffiti in support of Arab Spring in Syria, emboldened pro-democracy supporters called for the end of Bashar Al Assad's government.
The response was a deadly crackdown, killing hundreds of demonstrators and imprisoning thousands more.
Military defectors formed a rebel group - the Free Syrian Army - in hope of overthrowing the government, but it only tipped the country further into war.
It is a war that has lasted 10 years and shows no signs of waning.
International Red Cross spokesperson Anita Dullard told Worldwatch that many Syrians don't even have access to basic necessities.
"So daily, people are talking about having to restrict their consumption. There's a huge economic crisis. People are struggling to find work and their savings have been depleted."
It's had a huge impact on people's education and a recent survey showed almost 60 percent of young Syrians have missed years of their education.
In the past decade, the conflict has drawn in regional and international powers, including armed groups like Islamic State which emerged from Iraq and spilled over into Syria.
It has sparked the world's largest refugee crisis.
More than six million people have fled Syria - mostly into neighbouring countries like Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.
Some have found refuge further afar.
Members of the Syrian Red Crescent distribute humanitarian aid parcels to local residents in the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor on September 9, 2017. Photo: AFP
In New Zealand, Syrian refugees are one of the largest resettled ethnic groups.
Among them is Jabour Faour, who left Syria in 2011 with his wife and children after the war began.
"I left Syria to Lebanon because of the warzone - the bombs and aeroplanes were on our heads. We were afraid and I was worried about my family."
The United Nations contacted the family and offered a more permanent move to either Australia or New Zealand.
"The reason I chose New Zealand is because I know there's no racism, there's no black or white - no Christian or Muslim - everyone is one," Faour said.
Red Cross New Zealand general manager migration Rachel O'Connor said Syrians are the largest ethnic group needing urgent resettlement.
"Syria is now a prolonged conflict but the risk to life and the decimation is still the same," O'Connor says.
With support from Iran and Russia, Al Assad's grip on the country remains firm.
His regime has been accused of deliberately targeting civilians - bombing schools and launching hundreds of chemical attacks - a claim they deny.
But as time passes, people become numb to the images.
"We're so far removed from it, it's very hard to understand what's going on. In 2015, when we were seeing the footage and people were struggling to get out of the region; Kiwis were really impacted by that. So many people got in touch and wanted to help," O'Connor recalled.
New Zealand's refugee quota increased to 1500 last year - but that target hasn't been reached because of the pandemic.
Despite the continuing conflict, O'Connor said donations to aid agencies were declining.
"It's understandable why people have forgotten but the need is still there.
"When you see it on TV, the numbers often don't mean anything, but when it's your neighbour, a parent at school, when it's someone you've met - that's when it becomes real for people."
Faour said life in New Zealand is even better than Syria before the war - his kids can learn and they're safe.
"I feel that New Zealand, the community and the government have done more than I ever imagined," he says.
"I can see the future for my kids here and it's a bright future. If I ever go back to Syria, it'll be to visit my parents and that would be the only reason. New Zealand is my country now."
This week, 37 aid agencies have joined forces to urge the international community to continue its support amid the skyrocketing needs and not to turn their backs on the plight of Syrians.
- Worldwatch
