Basic needs of young Syrian refugee children not met: UNICEF

The UN agency for children says 85 per cent of Syrian refugee children in Jordan live in poverty, 38 per cent are not in school and almost half of those under the age of five don't have access to proper health care. The findings by UNICEF are based on responses from hundreds of families among Jordan's 660,000 registered refugees. Some 5.5 million Syrians have fled civil war in their homeland since 2011, most settling in neighbouring countries where they struggle to survive. Robert Jenkins, the agency's Jordan representative, says the findings show that refugee children "are facing a more challenging time in meeting their minimum basic needs." He called on donor countries to step up at a time of growing need. UNICEF in Jordan lacks USD 145.7 million for child programmes in 2018.

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