When Winter Comes, Home Matters: How UNHCR Helps Refugee Families Stay Warm

[© UNHCR]

This blog article was written by Sameya Khan, Associate, UNHCR Canada

For many of us in Canada, winter means putting on a warm coat, turning up the heat and settling into the comfort of home.

For millions of people forced to flee forced to flee the comfort and safety of their homes, winter can mean something very different.

Freezing temperatures can turn a damaged home into an unsafe place to live. A broken window can let cold air and snow inside. A lack of heating can force parents to choose between buying fuel and feeding their children. And for families living in tents or temporary shelters, even staying dry and warm can be a daily struggle.

Across the world, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and its partners are preparing for the winter months by delivering essential humanitarian winter response programs. These program help families prepare and protect their homes, access essential supplies and stay safe through the cold. Because when winter arrives, having somewhere safe and warm to call home matters.

A Loving Grandmother’s Fight: How Refugee Winter Aid Keeps Families Warm

[© UNHCR/Alina Kovalenko]

In the village of Vidradne in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Nataliia is doing everything she can to keep her grandson, Kyrylo, warm and safe.

Nataliia has cared for Kyrylo since he was just 11 months old, after her daughter passed away. When he was a baby, he suffered from pneumonia and anaemia. Nataliia, who spent 13 years working in intensive care, drew on her experience to help nurse him back to health. Today, Kyrylo is in first grade.

Their home is difficult to heat. The walls are thin and the cold seeps inside. Nataliia chops and stacks firewood and keeps the stove burning for hours, but the house can still struggle to stay warm. Last winter, temperatures dropped to -18°C.

With support from UNHCR’s partner Proliska, Nataliia received a heater and insulation materials to help keep the cold out.

For Kyrylo, home is also where he finds comfort when the sounds of war become frightening. When explosions are loud, he sometimes climbs into his grandmother’s bed. In the evenings, while they watch cartoons together, he covers her feet and tells her, “Granny, your feet are getting cold.”

Nataliia hopes that he will grow up safely, complete his education and have a peaceful future.

Her story is just one example of how challenging winter can be for families affected by conflict. It is also a reminder that practical support can make a profound difference.

Preparing Families for the Cold: Winter Emergency Relief for Refugees Around the World

[© UNHCR/Shawkat Alharfoush]

For families facing winter in different parts of the world, the challenges may look different, but the need for warmth and safety is universal.

In Ukraine, UNHCR’s winter response has helped families living in homes damaged by war, by providing insulation and emergency shelter support to help keep freezing air, rain and snow outside. Power cuts can make the cold even harder to endure, particularly for people who depend on electricity for heating.

In Syria, families returning after years of displacement can arrive home to find walls, windows, doors and essential infrastructure damaged or missing. For many, repairing their home is their most urgent need, since winter can turn already unsafe housing into a matter of survival.

In Jordan and Lebanon, many Syrian refugee families have spent years living in tents and temporary shelters. As winter approaches, families face leaking shelters, expensive fuel and difficult choices between heating, food, medicine, and other essentials.

And in Afghanistan, families returning from Pakistan and Iran are arriving with little more than they can carry. With limited income and scarce fuel, parents are struggling to keep their children warm, fed, and safe throughout the winter.

UNHCR’s response meets these different needs with targeted refugee winter shelter support and practical assistance, including providing winter items, heaters, insulation, shelter repairs, and cash assistance to help cover increased winter expenses.In Ukraine, a gift of approximately $110 CAD could help provide a rapid thermal kit for a household, with materials such as insulation screens, window-repair plastic, foam draft blockers and building tape to help keep the cold out.

For families like Nataliia and Kyrylo, this kind of support can help make a home warmer and safer when they need it most.

Your Help Can Make Winter Warmer: Support UNHCR Canada Winter Relief

[© UNHCR/Amine Abou Ghanem]

For Nataliia, it means being able to keep Kyrylo warm.

For families returning to damaged homes, it can mean a repaired window or a safer place to sleep.

For families living in temporary shelters, it can mean a blanket, winter clothing or assistance to afford heating.

And for someone who has been forced to leave everything behind, it can mean knowing that they have not been forgotten.

Winter should not be a season of fear and uncertainty. With the right support, families can protect their homes, stay warm and begin to rebuild a sense of safety and stability.

Your donation can help UNHCR and its partners provide essential winter assistance, including shelter support, insulation materials, blankets and other supplies to families facing the cold.

Donate through CanadaHelps to help refugees and displaced families stay safe and warm this winter. To learn more about UNHCR Canada’s winter response, Visit here.