Syrian Refugee Crisis – OCIC Member Response

four Syrian child refugees

The scale of this emergency is huge and #OCICMembers still urgently need your help to continue supporting families forced from their homes by conflict. Picture by Oxfam Canada


Since 2011, millions of people have been forced to flee their homes to escape the conflict in Syria. For a number of months, many OCIC member organizations have been providing emergency assistance in the form of shelter, emergency medical care, and other basic health services, psychosocial support, food, water and sanitation, and the distribution of other relief items.

OCIC Members’ Efforts

Four Syrian refugee stats


Facts from our Members and Partners


The following OCIC members are working to support Syrian Refugees. Learn how you can help and get more involved.

Canadian Red Cross
ADRA Canada
World Renew
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF)
OXFAM Canada
World University Service of Canada

Partners and Funders

Government of Canada – DFATD

The Government will match every eligible dollar donated by individual Canadians to registered Canadian charities in response to the impact of the conflict in Syria, up to $100 million, effective immediately and until December 31, 2015. The Fund will help meet the basic needs of conflict-affected people in the region, as well as in official development assistance-eligible transit countries for refugees. To be counted for the purposes of the Syria Emergency Relief Fund, donations from individual Canadians may not exceed $100,000 per individual and must be:

– Monetary in nature;

– Made to a registered Canadian charity that is receiving donations in response to the Syria crisis;

– Specifically earmarked for response to the Syria crisis;

– Made between September 12 and December 31, 2015;

– Used by the registered charity receiving the donation in support of the humanitarian response to the impact of the Syria crisis; and

– Declared by the registered charity receiving the donation to DFATD.

Since January 2012, Canada has committed $503.5 million in international humanitarian assistance funding in response to the Syria crisis.

Ontario Government

Ontario is continuing to support Lifeline Syria’s efforts to resettle and integrate 1,000 Syrian refugees in the Greater Toronto Area over the next two years. In April 2015, Ontario provided $30,000 in seed funding to Lifeline Syria to help Syrian refugees approved for resettlement by the federal government. The province is now providing Lifeline Syria with an additional $300,000 so that it can continue its important work.

The funding will be used to:

– Implement an outreach campaign to promote private sponsorship

– Recruit, train and support private sponsors

– Develop and coordinate targeted services for refugees, and help to build capacity within the community to meet their complex needs

– Cover the cost of necessary staff positions, including case workers and a project manager.

Start a conversation: Click here to find your closest OCIC Member organization to take action and advocate for Syrians.

This is a living document and we are continuing to gather information about #Syrian #RefugeeCrisis response. Please feel free to email us with details about your organizations’ contributions.