“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.” (Bukhari)
Syrian refugees in Lebanon have never faced such an unbearable winter. A staggering 78% don’t have reliable access to food, and amid a financial crisis, the most basic essentials are unaffordable for most in Lebanon. For Syrian refugees like Jumaa who struggle to earn a living, food, fuel, and medicine are extremely scarce.
As snow sweeps across Lebanon, Jumaa and his family are struggling to stay warm, as Syrian families like his try to survive without warm clothing, heaters, hot food or blankets.
£20 will provide a family like Jumaa’s, with twenty litres of fuel for heating to help them to stay warm in the coming cold weeks.
£50 will provide a family like Jumaa’s, with a nutritious food parcel to last one month.
£70 will provide a winter family emergency kit, containing a nutritious food parcel and fuel for heating, helping a vulnerable Syrian family like Jumaa’s to stay warm and nourished this winter.
How will we survive?
Jumaa Mohammad lives with his wife and seven children in a refugee camp in Lebanon. The family fled war in Syria, leaving behind everything they have ever known. Jumaa suffers from high cholesterol, diabetes and heart problems, and his youngest daughter has a health condition related to her brain.
Jumaa told us, “We use to live in Syria and work in agriculture. We had a good life, Alhamdulillah. Our life was absolutely fine, but then the war broke out and we were displaced to Afrit. After that we moved here to Lebanon.”
“Winter is very difficult here. It rains a lot, and it snows often. The snow even enters our tents. Temperatures fall below zero, and it’s very cold.”
“I’m constantly wondering how I can provide for my seven children, and how we will survive. We have no medicines or heating, so it is very difficult in winter. As we have no heaters or fuel, I sometimes ask my children to accompany me to collect wood. We burn wood to create a fire to keep warm.”
“I worry for myself and for my children. I can’t provide my youngest with the medicines she needs, and I am unwell myself. In winter, we urgently need blankets and rugs.”
My daughter cries all night
Jumaa’s wife told us that when her daughter was born, it was clear she had a problem with her brain. She is unable to do things other girls her age does, and her parents wonder if she will ever have a happy life.
“My daughter cries all night, and I try to comfort her but it is no use. She doesn’t stop crying, and sometimes this makes me cry with her too.”
“We have taken her to many doctors, but have not yet found a cure for her. I think the war and fleeing our home has worsened our daughter’s condition. I really pray for her good health.”
“Many parents can provide food for their children, but we struggle to feed them.”
Our work so far
This January, we provided 110 Syrian families in Akkar, Lebanon with nutritious food parcels to last a whole month. 220 families received 20 litres of fuel, and a further 110 people received a mattress and a blanket, helping them to stay warm this winter.
Last winter, we helped a total of 11,919 people in Lebanon, providing heating oil, blankets, warm clothing, as well as month-long food parcels.
In all, you helped over 70,000 people around the world to stay warm last winter.
For 30 years, thanks to your support, we have been there for human beings in desperate need during the winter months. Last winter alone, as biting winds, snowstorms, and sub-zero temperatures battered camps and flimsy shelters, you provided 40,998 people across nine countries with emergency aid, including nourishing food, warm winter clothing, shelter reinforcements and heating, while supporting our long-term winter solutions, including water, healthcare, permanent housing and farming and support for street children and orphans. In the UK too, you provided 29,033 people with warm winter coats, including homeless people, refugees, children living in poverty and people fleeing domestic violence.
Human Appeal is committed to providing aid in the country or programme that you select. In the event we complete the programme, exceed the required funds, or are denied access to a particular country for reasons beyond our control, Human Appeal reserves the right to reallocate your donation to another programme where it is needed most.
