Middle East, Afghanistan and Ukraine
Temperatures are beginning to plummet in the Northern Hemisphere, and displaced families will soon face freezing wind, heavy rain and snow. Find out how your support can help UNHCR deliver life-saving aid before the worst of the weather arrives.
While summer is around the corner here in Australia, refugees in the Northern Hemisphere are bracing for the toughest time of year.
In countries like Lebanon, Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan, winter brings additional suffering to families already struggling with displacement.
During winter, conditions in refugee camps become unbearable. Temperatures plummet below zero, which can be life-threatening for people living in makeshift homes without electricity or insulation. Heavy rain and melting snow can flood camps, trigger landslides and block aid deliveries when they’re needed most. Families face mounting bills for their basic needs including fuel for heating, shelter repairs, medicine and winter clothing.
Find out more about why winter is the deadliest time of year for refugees.
Refugees and displaced people in Lebanon are not only bracing themselves for winter, but also fleeing Israeli airstrikes. UNHCR is on the ground helping thousands of displaced families as they try to escape this new wave of conflict.
Many of the people fleeing are Syrian refugees who came to Lebanon in the hope of finding peace and security. Approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees live in Lebanon, including areas under recent attack.
Some refugee families have no option but to live in shelters that offer little protection from the harsh storms and freezing temperatures to come. The extra expense of repairing a tent to keep out the rain, or buying gas to fuel the heater, is too much for the most vulnerable families.
Azzam is a 13-year-old Syrian refugee living with his mother and siblings in a camp in Tripoli, Lebanon. This winter, he yearns for a more durable home.
“I dream of living with my siblings in a house. A dignified life with my brothers. Now I live in an informal settlement. I know nothing outside this tent,” he says.
“A house would not leak water inside, unlike the tent. The tent needs to be covered with plastic sheets and wood. A house comes ready with these things. You can just put your mattress and sit without worrying about water leaking.”
UNHCR is rushing to reach displaced Syrians like Azzam with life-saving winter support. Teams are focused on distributing cash assistance, which can help vulnerable families pay for heating, thermal blankets and medicine for sick children.
Winter in Ukraine is desperately cold. Temperatures can plummet below zero and winter storms can be deadly. As the country faces a third year of full-scale war, its people are deeply traumatised. More than 10 million people have been displaced by conflict.
Attacks continue to devastate communities, forcing people to flee. The attacks are also damaging power supplies, cutting people off from heat, light and water. UNHCR is extremely concerned about the challenges this will present with winter looming.
Viktoria Bodnaryuk and her five children fled their village in Mykolaiv when artillery hit their neighbour’s property. Viktoria’s mother and grandmother stayed behind and were tragically killed by a bomb while walking on the street.
When it was finally safe for the grieving family to return to their village, they found their own home had been severely damaged. With winter fast approaching, UNHCR’s cash assistance helped Viktoria repair the broken roof, walls and windows, making their house warm again in time for the freezing months ahead.
UNHCR’s teams are on the ground in Ukraine now, helping thousands of families like Viktoria's prepare for winter. With your support, UNHCR can help repair war-torn homes and distribute insulation kits to keep out the cold.
For families living in Afghanistan, winter is something to be feared. Last winter was the coldest in over a decade, and came as millions of Afghans were already struggling to survive. Temperatures dropped as low as -34 degrees Celsius; dozens died from the cold.
In the past 12 months, communities have been devastated by earthquakes and flooding. Whole villages have been destroyed, leaving families with little shelter, food or warmth. Many have lost all their possessions.
Over 23 million people – more than half the population – need humanitarian assistance.
Gulbuddin, a father of six, lost his small stall in his local bazaar when it was washed away in recent floods. All his stock was coated in mud and could no longer be sold.
“I have nothing now,” says Gulbuddin. “We don’t have enough food, and we don’t have shelter. We need everything. We are hungry. Please help us to return to our normal lives again.”
In these conditions, Gulbuddin’s six children are extremely vulnerable. His four-year-old son, Sadridin, was recently hospitalised with the flu.
During winter, heavy snow, landslides and poor roads can block access to communities and prevent UNHCR from delivering life-saving aid. Dedicated field workers are rushing to deliver supplies to remote areas before temperatures plummet. But they need your help to reach as many people as they can before winter arrives.
Your urgent donation can help UNHCR provide families like Gulbuddin’s with essential winter supplies such as construction materials, thermal blankets, stoves and heaters.
UNHCR is racing to reach refugee communities with critical aid before the brutal winter weather arrives. With your support, dedicated teams are upgrading camps to better cope with rain and snow, distributing building materials to help families winterproof their homes, and delivering winter essentials such as thermal blankets.
Your donation can help UNHCR provide families with:
There’s no time to waste. With temperatures plummeting, refugees urgently need shelter, warmth and protection.
Please donate now before winter kills.
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.