A year after the fall of the Assad-regime in Syria, displacement remains a daily reality for millions of Syrians. For the 1.5 million families still living in camps across Northwest Syria, winter brings another layer of hardship – bitter cold, heavy rain, snow and floods, and increased risks to health and safety.
Um Saddam Al-Abdullah is a 47-year-old mother from the northern countryside of Aleppo. For the past 5 years, she has been living with her family in Khalid Ibn Al-Walid Camp in Azaz, after being forced to flee her home due to the conflict.
Following a severe winter storm in 2025, Um Saddam received emergency cash assistance delivered by the Syrian Association for Relief and Development (SARD) with support from the European Union, to help her family meet urgent winter needs.
’Our tent has no doors to protect us from the rain and snow, not even windows. My children often fall sick because of it. During the last snowstorm, the cold was unbearable. Before receiving support, we had no choice but to burn nylon, plastic, and whatever sticks we could find. Firewood was too expensive for us,’ explains Um Saddam.
Her story reflects the wider reality faced by many displaced families in camps across Northwest Syria, where poverty, unsafe heating practices, and exposure to harsh weather conditions pose serious health and protection risks, especially for children.
Supporting families through winter, while working on longer-term solutions
Thanks to EU funding, 4,000 vulnerable households in over 30 camps received a one-off €150 emergency cash assistance. This EU funded assistance provided through Welthungerhilfe and SARD helps families meet urgent winter needs while reducing reliance on harmful coping strategies.
’With this help, I was able to buy firewood, a heater, and the basic equipment we need to survive the winter. For the first time in a long while, my children and I could feel warm,’ says Um Saddam.
With access to firewood, Um Saddam and her young sons can now keep warm and are no longer forced to burn nylon or plastic to survive the cold.
The cash support allowed Um Saddam’s family to replace unsafe heating methods with safer alternatives, improving their health, safety and sense of dignity. This winter assistance complements ongoing shelter rehabilitation efforts also supported by the EU, aiming to reduce families’ reliance on tents altogether.
Why cash assistance matters in winter emergencies
For families like Um Saddam’s, winter cash assistance is more than financial support - it is a lifeline during the coldest and most dangerous months of the year. It allows households to prioritise their most urgent needs, protects children from illness and harm, and restores a measure of dignity after years of displacement.
By supporting life-saving winter cash assistance in Northwest Syria, the EU is helping displaced families to stay warm, safe, and protected during the harshest months of the year. While long-term solutions remain essential, humanitarian support continues to make a critical difference for families like Um Saddam’s - helping them endure winter.
