Charity Union in Damascus warns of financial strain as demand for aid rises

Shafaq News – Damascus

The Union of Charitable Associations in Damascus revealed, on Thursday, that it is facing severe financial strain as economic pressures mount and the number of returnees in need of medical and relief services continues to increase.

Board member Haitham Saltaji told Shafaq News that the situation is placing unprecedented pressure on the union’s operations, noting that the union’s Al-Afiya Fund - a humanitarian multi-donor pooled fund- now handles up to 800 patients in a single day of medical committee work.

Banking restrictions, he added, are compounding the crisis by preventing large withdrawals of deposited donations, delaying the payment of stipends, and slowing the distribution of food baskets and other services.

According to Saltaji, the union also serves as a link between associations and beneficiaries while training staff in dialogue, conflict resolution, and effective engagement with vulnerable groups. He called for stronger coordination with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and the Damascus governorate to accelerate and expand services.

He further urged the Ministry of Finance not to impose taxes on charitable funds, stressing that the sector is non-profit and relies on donor trust.

“Taxing donations could reduce their volume, and cooperation with international organizations remains limited because such support often comes with political considerations.”

Charitable organizations in Syria have played a central role throughout more than a decade of conflict, stepping in to provide food, shelter, and healthcare in areas where state institutions were weakened or absent.

In the early post-war period, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, many organizations faced confusion after their financial accounts were frozen, which reduced aid operations, cut medical and food assistance, and forced some associations to dismiss staff.

The work of these organizations is governed by Syria’s Law of Associations and Private Institutions, Law No. 93 of 1958 and its amendments, which regulate the establishment and operation of associations, including those of public benefit, and grant the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour the authority to open or freeze accounts by justified decision.