Today, the European Commission announced they will provide €3 million to protect the children of Syria from polio.

The EU’s humanitarian funding will provide support to a UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) led polio vaccination campaign across Syria.

Syria has been in chaos since civil strife, then war, broke out over 5 years ago. In the last 5 years, almost half the country became internally displaced or refugees. This has put a hole in anti-polio vaccination efforts, potentially leaving millions of children without coverage.

The EU’s “support can make a real difference. It can save lives and improve conditions,” said Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian aid and Crisis management.

The funding is part of the €445 million in humanitarian aid announced at the London donors’ conference back in February.

Funding is only one of the challenges faced by polio campaigners. Delivering aid is rife with obstacles--roving militias, threats from the regime, checkpoints, battered infrastructure, etc.--but it is absolutely essential in war-torn Syria.

“For health workers to do their remarkable job, they need safe and unimpeded access,” said Stylianides. “The systematic attacks on medical facilities in Syria and the rising civilian casualties in recent weeks are worsening the humanitarian situation.”

The conflict in Syria has derailed health initiatives, pushed students out of schools and put the future of Syria’s people in peril. Peace on the ground is still elusive. In the interim, global citizens and international organizations must prioritize health and education services to the children caught in the middle of the chaos.