© UNHCR/Shawkat Alharfoush
The emergency isn’t over yet. Millions of Syrians have nothing left and are still far from home.
With the fall of Assad’s regime, Syria finally has a chance to move from darkness to light. But after so long at war, the country lies in ruins and millions of people urgently need aid.
Syrians have endured almost 14 years of conflict. Their loved ones have been brutally killed. Their homes and communities have been destroyed. They have been forced to flee again and again, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
UNHCR has been standing side-by-side with Syrians since the beginning of the war – and the work doesn’t stop now.
With your help, UNHCR can continue to deliver life-saving aid and help families find their way back home.
With the fall of the Assad regime, some Syrian refugees are beginning to look toward home. But for extremely vulnerable families like Shadia's, returning is far from easy.
Shadia Mohammad Jesm, 50, has lived in a refugee camp in Lebanon for five long and arduous years, ever since fleeing deadly conflict in Homs.
"We were trapped there for three days between shelling and bullets," Shadia says. "It was terrifying."
Lebanon generously hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees. However, the country is facing economic crisis and regional conflict.
Many refugees are living in crushing poverty, struggling to keep a roof over their heads or food on the table.
Shadia has more responsibility than most - she cares for her husband and two daughters, who all have serious health conditions. While Shadia yearns for home, she doesn't know what to expect. She isn't alone - refugees have many concerns, from the security situation to shelter, employment to education.
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. Most recently, more than half a million people crossed into Syria to escape the violence in Lebanon. Before that, communities in the north were devastated by earthquakes that struck near the border with Türkiye. More than 16 million Syrians 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.