Ein Mädchen steht vor ihre Zelt, dass ihr als Notunterkunft dient.
© UNICEF/UNI521729/El Baba

Pack the UNICEF warmth box

Winter is very harsh for children in conflict zones. The paper-thin walls of the tents in the emergency camps cannot stand up to the cold, and the children have no defenses against the icy cold, rain and wind. Pack vital supplies into the warmth box and help children and families get safely through the winter.

Here’s how easy it is: click the icons on the left to fill the UNICEF warmth box.

Winter aid for children in conflict zones

Winter is relentlessly harsh for child refugees. War and conflict have left millions of families without a roof over their heads. Low temperatures worsen their already difficult situation. Many children in crisis regions are helplessly exposed to the cold. UNICEF is providing urgently needed relief in these areas.

The situation is particularly dire in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Ukraine. The ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip has driven 1.9 million people – including almost one million children – from their homes. With the coming of winter, almost the entire population of Gaza will experience icy temperatures. Many families live in overcrowded emergency shelters that offer hardly any protection against the cold, snow and rain. The ravaged infrastructure, including water systems and healthcare facilities, further exacerbates the suffering. The victims are finding it ever more difficult to meet even their most basic needs.

Ein Junge steht hinter einer verregneten Scheibe,

I used to love winter, but without our house, which was destroyed during the war, winter is very harsh.

Fares, 11, Rafah, Gaza

Ukraine is facing the worst winter since the beginning of the war. Temperatures as low as -20 °C and the large-scale destruction of living space and energy and heating infrastructure are making life unbearable for millions of people. Even today, 3.3 million people – including 564,000 children – are on the run from the war. Their despair is great: without decent shelter, heating and basic supplies, this winter will be a fight for survival for children and their families.

Afghanistan has been in an even worse crisis since the Taliban retook power. State structures are only functioning to a limited extent. Around 23.7 million people, including 12.3 million children, are still in urgent need of humanitarian aid. Especially during the cold winter months. Winters in this country are extremely harsh, with temperatures dropping to -33°C. Under these precarious conditions, diseases such as pneumonia spread very quickly, threatening the lives of many already weakened children.

Donate wormth now
Ein Junge steht in Winterkleidung vor einem zerbombten Haus.
© UNICEF/UNI496722/Filippov

Eleven-year-old Bohdan lives in Izyum, in the Kharkiv region. This city has been almost totally destroyed in the past two years of war. "The war has totally changed my life," says Bohdan. "I no longer go to school, avoid places that may be mined, and always stay close to our home. Before, Izyum was safe, and the people were happy and friendly. Now everything's broken, and almost everybody has left." In winter in particular, children like Bohdan face power outages, with temperatures regularly dropping below freezing. His grandmother therefore saves some of her small pension to buy firewood for the cold winter months. But the money usually is not enough for warm clothing. 

Eine Familie sitzt leicht bekleidet auf einer Bank vor ihrem Haus.
© UNICEF/UNI501944/Zaqout

The eight members of the Daya family count among the thousands of families in the Gaza Strip who were uprooted by the war and destruction. Ihab and his wife Hanadi are greatly worried about their six children, the youngest of which, Ahmed, is only five months old. "We only narrowly escaped death, but now my children are suffering from cold, hunger and uncertainty," says Hanadi. Like countless parents in the Gaza Strip, the couple are fighting for the survival of their children. "There's not enough food and safe drinking water. I often don't know what to give my children to eat," says a despairing Hanadi.

Ein kleines Mädchen steht leicht bekleidet mit Sandalen im Schnee.
© UNICEF/UN0574453/Faze

Four-year-old Rahima from Afghanistan covers her nose with her hands to protect it from the icy winter cold. Clad thinly in just a robe and sandals, she is standing in the snow outside her house, her small body shivering in the bitter cold. Like Rahima, more than half of all children in Afghanistan are affected by multidimensional poverty, made even worse by the winter conditions. There is great desperation in the country: every day, families have to decide whether to spend what little money they have on warm clothing, heating fuel, food or urgent medical treatment. 

UNICEF is providing winter relief in the Middle East, Ukraine and Afghanistan. We distribute winter packages filled with warm jackets, pants, wool hats, shoes and gloves, as well as thermal blankets, to babies and children most in need, to protect them from the dangerous cold. UNICEF supports vulnerable families with cash grants to help them meet their children’s most basic needs. To help children and their families get through the winter safe and warm, UNICEF is working in Ukraine to repair important infrastructure such as heating and water systems in schools and hospitals, and distributes generators.

In addition, we provide clean drinking water, set up sanitation facilities and deliver urgently needed medical supplies, even to the most remote areas of the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Pack the UNICEF warmth box

Winter is very harsh for children in conflict zones. The paper-thin walls of the tents in the emergency camps cannot stand up to the cold, and the children have no defenses against the icy cold, rain and wind. Pack vital supplies into the warmth box and help children and families get safely through the winter.

Here’s how easy it is: click the icons on the left to fill the UNICEF warmth box.

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