DAMASCUS, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Syria's Social Affairs and Labor Minister Rima al-Qadiri has said that 30,000 orphans have been registered in the capital Damascus and its countryside, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper said Sunday.

The minister said that the number of children who have lost their providers has increased during the Syrian war.

She said that the ministry is working to establish a database to include the number of orphans in other Syrian provinces, adding that the ministry is working on a long-term project to find a sponsor for each orphan.

Qadiri said the sponsorship of orphans should take place within the environment of the orphans, whether within their close or extended family, noting that the orphans should not be isolated in orphanages.

The minister said that there are 600 care centers for the orphans in Damascus and its countryside.