Middle East, Afghanistan and Ukraine
Thanks to generous supporters like you, vulnerable families in Afghanistan, Jordan and Ukraine are receiving shelter, warmth and other life-saving winter essentials.
Winter has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere. Rain, snow and sub-zero temperatures are threatening the lives of people forced to spend the coldest months far from home.
Your gifts are helping to repair and insulate shelters, distribute essential items like blankets, and give people cash grants to buy food, fuel and medicine.
Here are three ways your support is helping our teams deliver warmth and hope.
The people of Afghanistan are experiencing extreme hardship, with around half the population in need of vital humanitarian aid.
In winter, life gets even tougher. In high-altitude areas, people are exposed to temperatures as low as –20 degrees Celsius.
But thanks to your support, families in the remote mountain village of Qala-e-Sabzi have new, permanent homes in time for winter.
Alijuma Nikbakht, his wife and their six children were previously living in an almost derelict house. Their new two-room home is equipped with a traditional heater, called a bukhari, and an outdoor toilet.
"Our living standard has improved greatly,” says Alijuma. “[Now we have] the basics like a warm home, we can have new dreams and plans, like electricity or a pipe scheme for drinking water to the village."
With your continued support, our teams can provide shelter, heating and cash grants to more Afghan families this winter.
Twelve million Syrians are still displaced after more than a decade of conflict. The vast majority of Syrian refugees have sought protection in neighbouring countries, including Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan, where they are struggling to make ends meet.
In Jordan, your support is providing much-needed cash grants for refugee families, enabling them to buy essential items like food, blankets and firewood.
Cash assistance is helping refugees like Ameena survive the freezing winter months.
Ameena was just 14 when her home in Aleppo, Syria, was shelled. She suffered severe shrapnel wounds, leaving her with lifelong pain in her hand. When it gets cold, the pain increases.
Today, Ameena lives in a refugee camp in Lebanon with her husband and their two young children. Their tent often floods in winter. When it snows, it’s almost impossible for the family to stay warm. They rely on UNHCR’s cash assistance to get through the difficult winter months.
“We rely on aid for essential items like rice, tea, sugar and oil,” says Ameena. “Without it, it would be impossible to manage. If there was no assistance, the situation would be very bad. We are grateful for any help, especially in the harsh winter when my husband can’t work.”
After almost three years of war, Ukrainians are exhausted and traumatised. Their families have been torn apart, their homes, schools and hospitals have come under fire. Now, winter has arrived – and it’s set to be the toughest since the full-scale war began.
In recent months, Ukraine has lost 65 per cent of its energy generation capacity due to Russian attacks. Power outages are now common across the country. People are struggling to remain safe and warm in their homes as energy prices soar.
To help families survive the brutally cold weather, UNHCR and its partners are distributing rapid thermal kits. These kits provide families with home insulation supplies, including reflective insulation screens, plastic sheets for window repairs, foam draft blockers and building tape.
One of the recipients is Oleksandra, 85, a former child social worker. Her apartment building in Kyiv was significantly damaged by a rocket attack.
UNHCR has repaired the building’s roof, allowing many of the residents to remain in their homes.
Thanks to your kind gifts, UNHCR is also providing families with cash assistance to cover energy bills, repairing shelters hosting displaced families, and distributing heaters and generators.
Your donations are helping families survive the brutal winter weather. Your generosity is truly life-saving.
It’s not too late to donate to our Winter Survival Fund. Every gift can make a difference to a displaced family enduring a brutal winter.
Winter will add to the suffering for refugees and displaced families in Europe, the Middle East and central Asia.
As temperatures plunge in the Northern Hemisphere, UNHCR is stepping up support to help refugees.
With your support, UNHCR is distributing crucial winter aid to Afghan, Ukrainian and Syrian families.
The majority of funds raised by Australia for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.