Dear Supporter, Thank you to our generous donors for giving to our urgent appeal for earthquake survivors in Türkiye and Syria. If you haven’t donated yet, now is your chance to give a gift that will have double the impact – a very generous supporter has come forward to offer to match your donations, up to a total of $50,000.
The need is only growing. More than 23,000 people are dead. In Syria alone, UNHCR estimates that 5.3 million people may be homeless following Monday’s earthquakes, with many seeking temporary shelter in mosques and schools. The conditions are extremely harsh, with winter storms sweeping across the region.
I’m starting to hear remarkable stories of survival from my colleagues on the ground. In Aleppo, Mazen told UNHCR that he was asleep when the earthquake struck. “I felt like I was dying… We can only think about this minute. We are on the safe side. For tomorrow we don’t know what is going to happen.”
At a shelter in Hama, Mohammed described how he rescued his wife and five children after their building collapsed, trapping them on the third floor. “I used a rope to get my family down,” he said.
Hama and his family are among those who have already received emergency supplies. Yesterday, UNHCR distributed 9,440 survival kits to some of Syria’s worst-affected areas, including Aleppo, Homs and Tartous. Meanwhile, in Türkiye, we are working with authorities and other UN agencies to equip shelters with thermal blankets, sleeping mats and other relief items.
Supporter, please give now to send double the amount of life-saving aid to Türkiye and Syria.
