118-truck convoy delivers urgent aid to stranded residents in Rukban, Syria

As part of the largest-ever humanitarian convoy by the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, UNFPA has delivered critical reproductive health supplies, hygiene and dignity kits to women and girls in the remote Rukban area of South-east Syria.

Some 118 trucks brought life-saving assistance to the makeshift settlement, where more than 40,000 people are stranded in the desert.

“The situation here is extremely dire,” said Dr. Ameera Ahmad, a UNFPA gender expert who served on the convoy. “It’s very cold and people are living without basic needs.”

Rukban, which sits at the border with Jordan, was cut off from humanitarian relief for most of 2018. A convoy and assessment mission last November brought the settlement its first humanitarian supplies in nearly a year.

The residents there have been stranded for years, and the prolonged displacement has taken its toll.

Much more assistance is needed

“I saw in Rukban an unfolding public health disaster,” said UNFPA’s Representative in Syria, Karen Daduryan. “Without a single doctor in the entire settlement, the population of 40,000 people are relying on nurses, many of them uncertified. We need to bring doctors and health services, including reproductive health care, and provide basic equipment and supplies, as well as establish a viable referral mechanism inside Syria for critical cases.

While the convoy successfully delivered much-needed assistance to people in need, a durable solution must be found as the aid only serves some of the needs for a limited time. Sustained access to continue the delivery of humanitarian assistance is absolutely vital for the Rukban residents.

Original source: UNFPA
Published on 16 February 2019