As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, children in refugee settlements are at a particularly higher risk of exploitation or abuse. On World Refugee Day, UNICEF welcomes a new contribution of $2 million from Qatar Charity to provide education and child protection services for Syrian and other refugee children in Turkey.

"Qatar Charity has a long history of addressing the needs of children in fragile and displacement contexts. On this World Refugee Day, we are joining hands with UNICEF to support refugee children in Turkey." said Mr. Faisal Rashid Al Fehaida, Assistant CEO for International Operations and Partnerships Sector at Qatar Charity. "As the world remains busy with the COVID-19 response, refugee children must not be forgotten. They need our support now more than ever."

"Refugee children, particularly those out of school or at risk of dropping out, face risks such as child labour or early marriage," said Eltayeb Edam, UNICEF Representative to Gulf Area. "Thanks to Qatar Charity's timely financial contribution during the time of COVID-19, UNICEF will be able to expand essential services for refugee children in Turkey."

Turkey is home to the largest number of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, standing at over 4 million. Nearly 3.6 million are Syrian, including over 1.6 million children. More than 680,000 refugee children have enrolled in schools.

UNICEF and partners are already helping thousands of children to go to school and learn. This contribution will strengthen UNICEF's support for some of the most vulnerable refugee children

Despite significant achievements and the commitment of the Government of Turkey, hosting the highest number of refugees in the world is putting enormous strain on the country's basic services and infrastructure, particularly when it comes to education and child protection.