For Syrians nowhere is safe, not even home.
In Syria, an estimated one child a day is either killed or injured by landmines and unexploded bombs left behind after more than a decade of war.
You can help protect these children. Every penny you donate will help directly in Syria. Your donation today can help provide children with the teaching they need to stay safe.
In the town of Khan Shaykhoun, northwest Syria, one families experience tells the story of many of those living with the horror, fear and deadly consequences of this emergency.
Ten-year old Abdul and his two younger brothers Hasan and Omar were outside their family home, searching for something they could fashion into a football. That’s when they found what they thought was a round piece of scrap metal.
Ten-year-old Abdul and his sister Maya
“I heard them playing and walked outside and, just as I asked them what they were doing, the explosion happened.”
Mehreen, mother of the three boys
Hasan did not survive the explosion. Abdul and Omars lives were left hanging by a thread, both needing to have a leg amputated.
Accidents like this are happening every day in Syria, causing unimaginable trauma and suffering for children and their families. Your gift today could help teach children how to recognise and avoid landmines and unexploded bombs.
Their father, Mohammed shared his heartbreak: “We only returned home two months ago, displaced by war, unaware the dangers would be so close. Someone told us it was likely a small anti-personnel landmine. Now, our daughters are too scared to leave the house.”
His plea echoes the desperation of many:
“If I had all the money, I’d give it to see my boys playing again. Our country needs help so our children can be safe."
Crisis in Syria
After 14 years of war, over 13 million Syrians are displaced, and many are now returning home to find their communities heavily contaminated with unexploded ordnance.
With the war in Syria now over, MAG teams are discovering more and more areas of land riddled with landmines and unexploded bombs. The cessation of active conflict in many areas of the country means MAG teams can now, if the funding permits, work in areas which were previously unsafe to do so. Teams can begin clearing land, but clearance is a painstakingly long and time-consuming process, which will take years. While that work starts, reaching people with lifesaving risk education is essential.
Today, Syria is one of the most landmine and unexploded bomb contaminated countries in the world.
Landmines, failed shells and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) block access to homes, farmland and essential services like schools and hospitals. This contamination has caused a surge in civilian casualties, overwhelming hospitals and stalling any meaningful recovery.
Children are particularly at risk. Due to a combination of curiosity and a lack of awareness, they may mistake these devices for harmless objects and play with them. In other cases, economic hardship forces children to engage in high-risk activities like scrap metal collection and truffle hunting, where unexploded bombs can tragically be mistaken for the items they’re searching for.
MAG needs to expand its risk education to protect these children from landmines and unexploded bombs. Your donation today will help us reach more vulnerable children.
