With winter just weeks away, millions of children of Syria and internally displaced Iraqi children and their families are facing misery and danger from the cold. Many already live on the brink in Syria and Iraq or as refugees in neighbouring countries. Hundreds of thousands of families have been forced to flee unrelenting fighting with little or no possessions. Children are among the most vulnerable to freezing temperatures and storms that have frequently swept the Middle East, leaving misery, illness and even deaths in their paths. UNICEF needs your help to protect children from the cold, keep them and their schools and places of learning warm, and offer a glimmer of hope.
No Child Should be Left in the Cold
More and more families from Syria and Iraq have seen their incomes and savings wiped out. Prolonged unemployment, displacement, increased inflation and rising fuel and food prices have taken its toll. Families struggle to buy the most basic goods - including clothes, scarves, gloves and shoes – to keep their children warm.
For any child forced to flee their home, winter is a particularly challenging time. Without the ability to stay warm, children can become ill and drop out of school. Worse yet, as seen in the past, some children who survived fighting have been killed by the cold as they faced snowstorms, flooding and bone-chilling winds with little or no shelter, clothing or heating.
UNICEF aims to provide some 2.5 million children both inside Syria and Iraq and those who have taken refuge in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, with clothes and supplies for the coming winter. Our priority is to reach the most vulnerable children, including the youngest, poorest and those living in besieged or hard to reach areas.
Every Minute Counts in Keeping a Child Warm
UNICEF urgently needs the funds to deliver life-saving assistance for children ahead of winter. Temperatures are already cooling, and in just weeks, the first wintry chills and freezing rain could be sweeping the region. UNICEF is working around the clock to purchase and deliver winter clothing that includes the bare minimum to protect a child from the cold, such as gloves, hats, shoes, socks, scarves and thermal blankets.
UNICEF will also provide families with cash assistance and vouchers to address the most urgent needs for their children. Funding received will also help us heat schools during the winter months. Children shouldn’t be cold while in school.