One of the most urgent humanitarian projects we’ve been able to fund lately is our cooperation with the UNHCR; the goal was to help support Syrian and Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) throughout the winter. We were able to raise EUR 800 to this end. Here’s a little update from the UNHCR on its work on the ground (as of January 13th, 2016):

“As temperatures dropped in November with heavy rainfall and strong winds, UNHCR expedited the release of its winter plan to keep vulnerable refugees and internally displaced people warm and protected from the cold conditions across the Middle East.

Iraq
UNHCR is providing 420,000 IDPs with basic domestic items for winter. Assistance includes the distribution of blankets, plastic sheeting, stoves, kerosene, jerry cans and weatherproofing kits. Ten additional camps are also being constructed to provide more than 200,000 IDPs with basic shelter support. In addition, UNHCR reached 9,280 IDP families in camps with more than 1.8 million litres of kerosene. In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, nearly 100,000 refugees and hosting community members received winter kits containing high thermal blankets, plastic sheeting and jerry cans for storing water, and kerosene.

Syria
Many areas are unreachable due to snow, and temperatures are reaching record lows. Most severely hit are mountainous areas. UNHCR and partners are responding with shelter kits and other help. UNHCR provided some 100,000 households (500,000 beneficiaries) with supplementary winter packages with plastic sheeting, winter clothing, and high thermal blankets. An additional 35,000 households will receive winter packages in January. Cash assistance for winter was also distributed to 2,500 extremely vulnerable individuals, the majority of whom were female heads of households.“