Letter to editor – International humanitarian charity, ShelterBox, has launched its urgent winter appeals to help fund its responses around the world

Dear Editor,

This year, the number of people displaced across the world reached a high of 110 million. People uprooted from their homes, communities and lives because of conflict, disaster, or the climate crisis.

Powerful earthquakes affecting Türkiye, Syria, and Morocco, devastating flooding in Libya, and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, have caused more deaths, more destruction, and more displacement.

For displaced people, wintertime brings with it added adversity. The freezing temperatures make everyday life even harder for the millions of people living without adequate shelter, or the basics needed to survive.

At the international disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, we’ve launched our urgent winter appeal to help fund our responses around the world.

Syria is home to the largest number of internally displaced people in the world, with millions of people fleeing unimaginable situations. We’ve worked in the country since 2012, supporting over 360,000 people and this winter we’re supporting 20,000 more.

As well as emergency shelter, we provide essential items, to make sure people get the aid they need. During wintertime in Syria, this means items that help people protect themselves and their families from the harsh weather: thermal clothing, insulated baby sleepsuits, carpets, blankets, and tarpaulins so temporary shelters can be made more durable and waterproof.

We rely heavily on public donations to make our responses happen. A donation of £2 could provide a child with a hat and a pair of gloves, £8 – a children’s coat, or a £30 donation could provide a family with a sleeping mat and thermal blankets. Although basic, these items could be the difference between life and death for a family living without adequate shelter when temperatures plummet.

If you’d like to help us continue to support people living without shelter, please visit www.shelterbox.org/winter.

Jack Bailey

Programme Manager at ShelterBox