NBC News to Spotlight SYRIA'S CHILDREN OF WAR

On the third anniversary of Syria's war, NBC News is devoting 48 Hours to expose the impact of the humanitarian Crisis on its most innocent victims - the babies and children. Over five million Syrian children have had their lives scarred by this conflict, whether losing a loved one, their home, or their school, or by suffering a severe injury. Inside Syria, 3 million children are displaced, and almost a million children live under siege or near a front line. Beyond its borders, another million plus Syrian children are now refugees.

Over two days and two nights, NBC News will bring their stories to the outside world in a way that no news organization has before, using an innovative new multi-platform format spanning the TODAY show, NBC Nightly News, NBCNews.com, and social media to create a "live documentary" -- a continuous stream of reporting from both inside and outside Syria's borders.

Coverage begins Tuesday morning on air and online, including the following:

· Chief global correspondent Bill Neely will be inside Syria, reporting up close on the schools, hospitals, and orphanages that are struggling to care for children in damaged and destroyed communities.

· Chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman will be in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon -- an area overwhelmed with Syrian refugees, most of whom are living in makeshift shacks or homemade tents. Snyderman will be embedded with a small hospital straining to deliver up to fifteen babies a day and treat countless children suffering from severe long-term injuries. She will also visit a refugee camp where mobile medical units are providing polio vaccinations and treating malnourished children.

· The live documentary continues around the clock on NBCNews.com, featuring extensive original reporting, analysis, and multimedia dispatches from both the teams on the ground in the region and experts here in the U.S. Dr. Snyderman will contribute personal blogs from her unique perspective as a doctor and mother.

· Dr. Snyderman will host live webcasts mid-day on both Tuesday and Wednesday -- talking to doctors, nurses, and patients in the hospitals and refugee camps.

· Every hour over the 48 hour cycle, NBCNews.com will post a new portrait of a Syrian child. Photographers Jerome Delay and Yuka Tachibana will be capturing photos and filing short stories about these young individuals to illustrate the challenges the children face, as well as the moments of joy and hopefulness they are hanging on to.

· NBCNews.com and the broadcasts will share lists and profiles of active charities for viewers seeking ways to help.

· NBC News journalists will contribute across social media using the hashtag #SyriasChildren.
· NBC News is also working closely with major relief organizations such as UNICEF, UNHCR, and Save the Children to present a comprehensive portrait of the war's devastating toll.

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