What’s next for Syria’s children?

Since November 28, around one million people – mostly women and children – have been forced from their homes by instability and violence. Many of these families are now sleeping on the streets in very cold temperatures. Children are struggling to stay warm. They are hungry and afraid. And their dire situation will get worse as winter sets-in.

Recent developments suggest the conflict may at long-last be coming to an end, with a fragile peace on the horizon, allowing some of those displaced to begin returning to their homes.

But with more than a decade of devastating war having destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and displaced over 7 million people, it will take time for children to be safe. Right now, children born into war, are battling for survival. They urgently need food, water and warm clothes.

Syria does not currently have the infrastructure to keep these children safe and healthy. The country has been gripped by war for almost 14 years. Over 14,000 children have been killed or injured. And amid this devastation, families were hit by a deadly cholera outbreak in 2022 and a devastating earthquake in 2023 which killed thousands.

More than half of primary healthcare services cannot operate. And without such healthcare, Syria’s traumatised children face a deadly threat from unsafe water and the disease it spreads.

Recently over 4.7 million people in Aleppo faced a complete cut to their water supplies, increasing the risk of diseases like cholera. Repairs are being made but the supply remains fragile.

Deadly hunger too threatens Syria’s children. Last year, over 650,000 children were found to be stunted with malnutrition – and food continues to be in short supply.

The children of Syria have suffered enough, but the deadly threats they face continue to mount. With your help, they can receive the shelter, food, and safe-water they so urgently need to survive.

A young girl at a shelter in Ar-Raqqa city after fleeing conflict. 

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Shams, 4, has her hair dried by her grandmother Leila. She is only able to shower every 10 days due to water shortages.
Abd , 3, his sister Malak, 1, and their mother Manal at a UNICEF-supported health centre in Aleppo.

In Syria, dirty water is deadly

Leila, 63, from Rural Damascus, would often see things moving in the water she gave her grandchildren.

“I remember nights when they couldn’t sleep because of diarrhoea and stomach-aches,” she said. “We knew it was because of the contaminated water, but all we could do was to take some medicine.”

Water is in such short supply, Leila had to limit the children’s access to basic hygiene.

“My grandchildren were allowed to shower only once every ten days,” she said.

UNICEF has now provided Leila and her neighbours with a more consistent water supply, but her story is common across Syria. And this lack of safe water is also worsening a severe hunger crisis.

‘We feared losing them’

Manal, from Aleppo, struggles to provide enough food for her four children.

“We never have enough food. The house is full of hungry children,” she said. “My husband and I used to cry every night when our children went to bed hungry. They were too thin, and we feared losing them.”

Manal’s children were screened at a UNICEF-supported clinic and diagnosed with malnutrition.

Thankfully they are now recovering. But the recent escalation in conflict means many more children are in urgent need of nutritional support. Without it, their lives could be at risk. They need help today. 

Over 16 million people urgently need your help

The challenges to saving the lives of children in Syria are immense. 16.7 million people need urgent help. 7.2 million people are internally displaced. Many of these families are living in overcrowded camps where they face the threat of disease. Others are surviving on cold streets. 

But thanks to our supporters, UNICEF has provided:

  • Over 1 million people with nutrition services.
  • More than 448,000 children and 180,000 women with micronutrient supplements.
  • Over 14 million people access to safe water quality through water disinfectants.
  • Hygiene supplies to over 400,000 people living in displacement camps.

But this is only a fraction of what is needed. With your help, we can continue to reach more children in urgent need. 

Children arrive at a reception centre for displaced people after fleeing the most recent conflict

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Your donation saves children’s lives

Thanks to generous donations over the last decade, UNICEF has helped thousands of children suffering from severe hunger and delivered billions of litres of safe water to millions of people. But now, with many water and healthcare systems in a state of collapse, the needs are immense.

The futures of millions of children hang by a thread. A donation to UNICEF today can make a life-saving difference.

  • With €100 you can provide thermal blankets to keep 17 children warm and protect them from the cold.
  • With €150 you can give enough emergency food to treat 23 malnourished children for a week.
  • With €250 you can supply enough clean drinking water to keep 50 families safe.

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Qamar, 4, and Mostafa, 2, during a UNICEF -supported mobile health team visit

Other Ways to Donate

You can make a donation by phone by calling 01 878 3000 from Monday to Friday between 9:00-5:30pm.

Or you can send your donation by post to:

Freepost; UNICEF Ireland, 33 Lower Ormond Quay, Dublin D01 R283.

In the unlikely event that the funds raised exceed UNICEF’s funding requirements for this appeal, your donation will be directed to where the need is greatest.

Help protect children