Samia Najem sets out every morning towards the mountainous areas near the Khirbet al-Jawz camps located in the western countryside of Idlib, which lies between the Idlib and Latakia countryside in northern Syria.
Leaving her tent each morning to gather firewood by collecting it from the woodland trees in order to provide warmth for her children, she has lost hope of receiving support for this winter from humanitarian organizations.
Samia told Al Jazeera, “It is said that the displaced are living under the poverty line, but for us, we are facing a death sentence; living among the mountains intensifies the cold weather, not to mention the lack of support and job opportunities, so we are living in catastrophic conditions.”
She added, “If a child falls ill due to the cold weather, the family is left in a dilemma to save him, as the hospitals are very far away, and there are only basic medical first aid points here.”
Thousands of displaced people live in the mountainous areas within the western and northern countryside of Idlib, known as the Syrian Coast Camps, with most of the residents being from Latakia city and its countryside.
The residents of these camps live in a very rugged mountainous geographical area, far away from the vital areas in northern Idlib, and the organizational presence is more than 200 kilometers round trip, making it difficult for organizations to reach them.
The inhabitants of the coastal camps complain of great injustice despite the cold weather and the lack of job opportunities, due to their settlement in the mountains and the absence of markets for trade, as well as the absence of humanitarian aid or heating resources.
**Scarcity of Support**
Mohammed Sinno, displaced from the Latakia countryside after the Syrian regime took control of his village, now lives in camps near the “Mourik” area in the western countryside of Idlib. He complains of the flooding of his tent and the lack of shelter during the past few days.
Mohammed Sinno told Al Jazeera that he was forced to live with his five children in his sister’s 40-square-meter tent due to the lack of additional tents, as hundreds of families in the area have been displaced, according to his account.
He added that the residents of the coastal area where he lives are neglected compared to the support provided to the camps in the Sarmada and Dana areas, near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing in northern Syria, which is a center for the offices of humanitarian organizations, while there is almost no support in this area.
According to the statistics of organizations and voluntary teams, the owners of these camps live in extreme poverty amidst the cold weather, as most of the residents do not have firewood for heating. This prompted Syrian activists to launch an aid campaign for these forgotten camps.
Many women work in collecting and selling firewood to make a living, while most of the camp’s residents suffer from unemployment, unlike the displaced people living near the cities and the organization’s work centers, where they have greater job opportunities.
**Suffering in Numbers**
Omar Al-Saeed, displaced from Latakia city, decided to collect old clothes and buy used clothes from the nearby market to keep warm this year, but this caused smoke to bulk inside his tent and almost suffocate his children, forcing him to use firewood for warmth.
In a statement to Al Jazeera, Omar said that he sends his children every day to the mountains of the Syrian coast with bags, “and they do not return until they collect enough firewood for us for two days, giving some to my neighbors who do not have any means to warm themselves.”
He added, “My heart breaks for my children when I send them to gather firewood; they return wet from water and trembling from the cold, but I have no other choice. I am ill and unable to climb the mountains, and there is no alternative to this.”
“Syria Emergency Response Team” highlighted the difficulties faced by the displaced people in the camps in the northwest of the country, including the difficulty of securing bread and food, the spread of fires and skin diseases, and problems related to water and sanitation.
The team issued a report stating that 86% of the camps are facing a food crisis, while the displaced people in 94% of the camps are suffering due to the lack of bread and the high prices.
It also noted that 61% of the camps lack sewage services, and the percentage rises to 100% in the makeshift camps, with 48% of the camps lacking clean drinking water.
The report recorded an increase in skin diseases in more than 23% of the camps, and the absence of mobile clinics or medical points in 87% of them.
Moreover, 69% of the camps do not have educational facilities, and the percentage of working children in them exceeds 37%.
The team revealed an increase in the number of people in need of humanitarian aid in Syria to 17.3 million, the highest ratio since 2011.
During the past few days, volunteer teams and humanitarian organizations have begun to shed light on the suffering of the camps, in order to attract attention to them and secure support for them during the winter season.
The humanitarian activist, Abdeljabbar Al-Zaidan, confirmed that the Emergency Response Team has launched a campaign to provide heating for 5,000 families at a cost of 250,000 dollars, and relief convoys will be dispatched to that area to deliver heating materials to those in need.
He added that this only covers 20% of the families in need of heating, so the campaign should include all organizations to suffice all the displaced people in the Syrian coast, as the requirements for support are extensive, including food aid, hygiene products, and fuel.
