UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The flow of Syrians routed by violence from their homes into displacement camps has reversed, creating new challenges, UN humanitarians said Tuesday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said nearly 39,000 people have left displacement sites in July and August alone.
"These returns are a positive sign, but needs are increasingly shifting from camps to communities of return, where damaged homes, limited basic services and a lack of jobs are making it difficult for families to rebuild their lives," OCHA said.
The office said that the United Nations, working with partners, is helping restore essential services in the communities, including water and electricity networks, hospitals, schools, bakeries, roads and homes.
OCHA cited Aleppo and Idlib as examples, where more than 120,000 people have better access to bread, with additional facilities expected to benefit another 320,000 people.
Humanitarian assistance also continues across the country.
The office said that between January and July, an average of 2.5 million people a month received support, including food, health care, shelter, clean water, and education, while some 120 million U.S. dollars in cash and vouchers were provided to families.
However, OCHA said that more than 15 million people still require humanitarian assistance in Syria, and the 2.9-billion-dollar humanitarian response plan is less than one-third funded.
"Sustained and flexible funding is essential both to keep life-saving assistance going and to help people returning home rebuild their lives," the office said. ■
