Your monthly gift, matched dollar for dollar
Thanks to a generous donor, the first 100 to join the Syria & Türkiye Children’s Emergency Fund as a monthly supporter will have the first six months of their gift matched dollar for dollar, making their impact for children in need reach even further.
Over 6.2 million children across Türkiye (Turkey) and Syria are still in need, 100 days after the devastating earthquakes hit.
Since 6 February 2023, Türkiye and Syria have endured three earthquakes; the first was a 7.7 magnitude, followed by 7.6 and 6.4 magnitude. The earthquakes have devastated communities in Türkiye and Syria, while millions of people across the region, including Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, and Egypt, felt the tremors.
According to the latest information from authorities, more than 50,000 people are known to have been killed, including children, and tens of thousands more have been injured. The earthquakes left more than 850,000 children displaced after being forced from their homes. This came as another devastating blow to Syria’s children who are enduring an ongoing war that is now in its twelfth year.
The longstanding crisis affecting children and women in Syria continues to worsen. The situation is exacerbated by the ongoing conflict and the spread of cholera. In Syria alone, about 3.7 million children have been affected and continue to be in need of water, shelter, food and emergency medical and psychosocial assistance.
"Although the earthquakes may have faded from the headlines, it will take years to rebuild the damaged infrastructure and facilities, while the psychological impacts on children could continue beyond that. "
You can help deliver life-saving supplies like safe drinking water, therapeutic food and learning materials to help the children of Türkiye and Syria rebuild their lives.
Updated: 16 May 2023
Syria & Türkiye Children's Emergency Fund
UNICEF teams are on the ground, providing urgent assistance to children and families impacted by the devastating earthquake and 12 years of war.
Rebuilding lives
Children attend school in a UNICEF-supported classroom at a temporary shelter in Türkiye. Photo credit: © UNICEF/UN0826740/Karacan
Rebuilding lives
In Türkiye, thousands of children and families lost their homes and are now living in temporary shelters. Photo credit: © UNICEF/UN0835808/Kiliç
Rebuilding lives
Displaced children participate in recreational activities provided by UNICEF-supported volunteers at a collective shelter in northwest Syria. Photo credit: © UNICEF/UN0801169/Issa
Finding safety
Children and families gather at a convent in Aleppo for the night as the tremors continue. © UNICEF/UN0778264/Beshare/AFP
Searching for survivors
People wait as rescue teams look for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building after an earthquake in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. Photo credit: © UNICEF/UN0777953/AFP
Searching through the rubble
Rescue operations continue following the devastating earthquake in Türkiye. © UNICEF/UN0778549/Erok
Finding safety
Children walk to safety, wrapped in blankets to protect themselves from the cold. Photo credit: © UNICEF/UN0778547/Erok
Crisis on top of crisis: 12 years of war in Syria
Children in Syria continue to face one of the most complex humanitarian situations in the world. A worsening economic crisis continued localised hostilities after more than a decade of conflict, mass displacement, and devastated public infrastructure have left two-thirds of the population in need of assistance. Food insecurity, reliance on unreliable and alternative water sources, protection concerns, and high school dropouts are acute.
Waterborne diseases pose another deadly threat to children and families affected. In Syria, a cholera outbreak declared on 10 September 2022 quickly spread across the country, with children especially vulnerable.
Before the earthquake, UNICEF required US$328.5 million to meet the needs of Syria’s children in 2023. Now, as our teams work to assess the situation, our funding need has become much higher.
"The numbers keep increasing. There is a sense of panic, including among children. Many people, including children, are displaced and remain outside in streets and open areas. The government in Syria closed schools and universities for today, and some are being used as shelters. The psychological impact on some people we met is grave."
How does the Syria & Türkiye Children's Emergency Fund work?
When you support the Syria & Türkiye Children's Emergency fund as a monthly donor, you’re joining our incredible family of Global Parents.
Your first six donations will go directly to helping children whose lives have been devastated by the earthquake. After six months, your regular gift will expand to helping children in need around the world, as well as Syria & Türkiye.
In times of disaster, UNICEF’s Global Parents allow us to deliver urgent supplies in just 48 hours. Your monthly gifts allow us to keep supplies stocked in key locations all over the world, so we can respond at a moment’s notice. And just like in Türkiye and Syria, we stay long after the crisis begins.
Your generous monthly donation will help to ensure we can be there for children before, during and after an emergency.
You’ll help us to deliver futures for every child.
Syria & Türkiye Children's Emergency Fund
UNICEF is on the ground, providing urgent assistance to families impacted by the devastating earthquake and 12 years of war.
How will my donation help children impacted by the Earthquake in Syria and Türkiye (Turkey)?
In Türkiye, UNICEF is providing desperately needed supplies and ensuring evacuation to safe spaces for children living in family homes in the affected areas. While in Syria, where the humanitarian needs are most urgent, we are rapidly mobilising supplies and services to support the urgent needs of children and families.
UNICEF has been on the ground in Syria for more than 50 years and Türkiye for more than 70 years. We are there for children before, during and after emergencies, ready to deliver urgent help where it is needed most. During this devastating time, we are working around the clock to protect the health and welfare of children.
- $95 could provide an emergency shelter kit for two families, helping to protect children and keep them warm and safe.
- $170 could provide two families with an emergency water and hygiene kit.
- $271 could help provide a School in a Box to help 40 students continue their education in an emergency.
- 82¢last year, 82 cents of every dollar donated went to our emergency response work in the field and helped us to be there for children before, during and after emergencies around the world.
- 18¢last year, 18 cents in every dollar were invested in raising public awareness; fundraising to grow our impact for children and in essential accountability and administration work.
How do we use each dollar donated?
If you choose to donate monthly, or in the unlikely event that UNICEF receives more funds than needed for this emergency response, your gift will help support UNICEF's work for children in need around the world.
Looking for other ways to support Syria & Türkiye children?
Syria & Türkiye Children's Emergency Fund
UNICEF teams are on the ground, providing urgent assistance to children and families impacted by the devastating earthquake and 12 years of war.