@ UNHCR/Vivian Toumeh
As winter approaches, Syrians face another fight to survive.
The people of Syria have endured over 14 years of conflict. Families have lost loved ones and entire communities have been shattered. Many have been forced to flee again and again, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Syrians have begun returning home, hoping to rebuild their lives. But they are coming back to extreme hardship. Homes, roads, schools and hospitals have been reduced to rubble. There is very little work, and millions face extreme hunger and poverty.
The freezing winter will make everything harder. With no heating or insulation, families will struggle to stay warm. For children and older people, the cold can be deadly.
This winter, Syrians urgently need shelter, warmth, food and medicine. Please donate now to help them survive the freezing cold.
Ibtihal, 52, returned to her hometown in Dar’a with her family after 12 years living as refugees in Jordan.
“When I first arrived at the border, I was overjoyed and moved. I started crying,” says Ibtihal. “I was so happy and excited to return.”
But returning is far from easy. Ibtihal found her home badly damaged by shelling. The doors and windows were blown out, the roof destroyed, and there was no electricity or running water.
“When I saw my home, it was in ruins,” Ibtihal said. “Life is truly painful.”
Over a million Syrians have returned since December 2024, each trying to rebuild after years of conflict and loss.
However, millions of others are still living as refugees in neighbouring countries such as Türkiye and Jordan, facing crushing poverty and struggling to afford rent, food and medicine.
UNHCR teams remain committed to providing emergency aid and supporting families for as long as it takes, but more help is urgently needed.
Please donate now to help Syrians return home safely and build a brighter future.
You can help Syrians return home and rebuild their lives in peace and safety. With your support, UNHCR can provide shelter repair kits, relief items such as blankets and solar lamps, emergency cash assistance, counselling, and livelihood and education opportunities.
Your gift can provide cash assistance to help families cover basic survival costs like rent and medicine.
Your gift can provide essential items like mattresses, blankets and kitchenware.
Your gift can rehabilitate schools to provide children with a brighter future.
The Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad's rule recently collapsed. The situation across the country remains extremely volatile. Millions of people are still displaced and in need of life-saving aid.
This is yet another disaster for extremely vulnerable Syrians, who have endured 14 years of conflict and displacement. Homes have been reduced to rubble and millions face extreme hunger and poverty. More than 16 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
UNHCR is delivering emergency supplies such as blankets, mattresses, solar lamps, kitchen sets and hygiene kits to assist displaced families. These supplies are absolutely vital for people who’ve been forced to flee with little more than the clothes on their backs.
You can make a generous donation to help UNHCR rush aid to families displaced by the fighting. With your help, UNHCR can ramp up its relief efforts and send vital supplies such as blankets, mattresses and warm clothing to vulnerable families.
The majority of funds raised by Aotearoa New Zealand 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.
