Syrian conflict forces parents to make unimaginable decisions

Traumatised families are sleeping outside in freezing temperatures because the camps are full. Babies are dying because of the cold. Mothers are reportedly burning plastic and other toxic garbage to keep their children warm.

Intense fighting and sustained bombing of towns and villages in northwest Syria has forced 900,000 people – the population of Tasmania and the ACT combined – to flee their homes since December 2019. Three out of every five are children.

This is the biggest forced displacement since the Syrian conflict began.

Many have been displaced several times before, leaving behind essential possessions in the rush to escape. Camps and settlements for the displaced have become overcrowded, and shelter in existing houses is becoming scarce, too.

With harsh winter conditions compounded by February’s Storm Ciara, many in Idlib and Aleppo are in dire need of essential items to stay warm.

A Syrian woman and her children gather around a fire after fleeing southern Idlib

Displaced Syrian women and their children, who fled from southern Idlib, gather around a fire in Afrin near the Turkish border. © Ritzau Scanpix

You can make a difference for people who’ve been forced to flee their homes again and again.

Our teams are delivering urgently needed tents, as well as other essential items including blankets, as part of a UN cross border operation with local NGOs – but our budget for the region is at breaking point, and humanitarian needs keep growing.

After nine years of war, Syrians were already struggling to survive even before the recent upsurge of fighting. More than 5.6 million people have fled to neighbouring countries, and another 6 million remain displaced inside Syria. Many live in extreme poverty, unable to feed their children, access healthcare or keep a roof over their heads.

Your support will help provide refugees in northwest Syria with thermal blankets and tarpaulins to protect them from the bitter cold.

SUPPORT SYRIAN FAMILIES