a syrian mother and daughter in a camp gathering twigs and bits of wood

Syria: “Winter in a camp is a catastrophe, but Islamic Relief is our lifeline”

Life in crisis-stricken Syria is difficult even at the best of times, and the winter season is the worst. Uprooted from their homes, many families are still living in camps scattered across the north, where Islamic Relief continues to provide lifesaving aid throughout the harsh winter months.

Um Ibrahim and her 5 children are among those living in a camp, with only a tent providing scant protection from the bitter weather.

“After we were displaced from our home, we lived in very difficult conditions,” says the 43-year-old. “Winter is like an annual catastrophe for us due to the torrential rain and snow. Rainwater seeps into my tent.

“One time the water flooded our tent and we had to move into our neighbour’s tent until it dried up. The tent was torn for about 2 years, I had to sew it daily to try to fix it as we cannot afford a new one.”

Keeping her children warm is a constant worry for the mother-of-5.

a syrian mother with her children sitting in a tent during the winter season

My children and I feel very cold. We don’t have a breadwinner in our family, so we cannot always turn on the heating. We cannot afford firewood so we go to the nearby mountain to look for a few branches we can use for heating. We have been suffering a lot: we burned some plastic waste for heat and the harmful smoke entered our bodies.

Um Ibrahim, a rightsholder from Syria supported by Islamic Relief's Winter programme.

Thanks to generous Islamic Relief supporters, last winter was warmer for Um Ibrahim and her children.

“Islamic Relief has provided us with winter heating materials, and thanks to your support we can now turn on heating every day. My children can feel warm and comfortable in this harsh season.

“I hope that you can keep supporting us, we are very happy with the heating materials and we hope that one day we can get a new tent.”

This winter, you can be a lifeline for families like Um Ibrahim’s. By giving to our Winter Appeal, you are helping people in 17 countries pushed to the brink of survival.