Winter Emergency

Help Refugees Survive the Harsh Winter

9 million refugees and displaced people urgently need winter assistance. As temperatures plummet and humanitarian resources dwindle, families are being left without the warmth, shelter and essentials they need to survive.

As winter approaches, millions of refugees and displaced families are preparing to face freezing temperatures with little protection from the cold.

While many of us in Canada can find warmth indoors, families forced to flee conflict and persecution are facing freezing winds, snow and dangerously cold living conditions. Many are living in makeshift shelters, without adequate heating, warm clothing or blankets. For parents, the struggle to keep their children warm often means making impossible choices between heating their homes, putting food on the table and accessing essential health care.

This winter, the situation is particularly dire. Facing deep funding shortfalls and surging energy prices, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that at least 9 million people across Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan urgently need additional winter assistance.

Humanitarian resources are dwindling just as needs are growing. Cuts to cash assistance, health care, education and livelihoods have already left displaced families increasingly vulnerable. Without additional support, millions risk facing another winter without adequate protection from the cold.

A Winter of Uncertainty Across Four Countries

For families already living through conflict, displacement and uncertainty, winter brings another layer of hardship.

• Ukraine: Facing its fifth winter of full-scale war, approximately 4 million people remain internally displaced. With temperatures potentially reaching -20°C and continued attacks on energy infrastructure, families urgently need heating and shelter support.

• Afghanistan: Nearly 4 million people returned from Pakistan and Iran between January 2025 and July 2026. An estimated 4.2 million people will need shelter support in 2026, while many families lack adequate winter clothing and heating.

• Syria: An estimated 2.4 million people will need winter assistance in priority areas as families returning home struggle to rebuild their lives without adequate shelter, warm clothing and heating fuel.

• Lebanon: Nearly 300,000 people are expected to need winter assistance, but funding constraints mean UNHCR can currently reach only around half of those in need.

Your Donation Can Help Provide Warmth and Protection

Behind every statistic is a family trying to stay warm, a parent protecting their children and a person hoping to rebuild their life in safety.

Your generosity can help UNHCR deliver life-saving winter assistance, including heaters, thermal blankets, warm clothing, heating fuel and emergency shelter repairs.

• $35: Provides a traditional Bukhari heating device to help keep an Afghan family warm.

• $135: Provides a thermal kit to a family in Ukraine, including a heater, reflective insulation screens, plastic sheeting to repair broken windows, draft blockers and building tape.

Every contribution helps provide practical support to refugees and displaced families facing the harshest winter conditions.

Donate today. Help refugees survive the winter.