Press Release

Emergency Supplies for Women and Children Reach Aleppo and Homs, Syria

UNICEF and partners have just completed delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, while a separate mission this week brought emergency supplies for children and women in Talbiseh, near Homs, one of the hardest hit areas in the country. With the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and other UN agencies, UNICEF brought to Aleppo four trucks filled with 89 medical kits, 2,000 family hygiene kits and 2 resuscitation kits, along with 1,000 towels, 48 boxes of soap, summer clothing and school supplies.

NEW YORK (April 19, 2013) — UNICEF and partners have just completed delivery of lifesaving humanitarian assistance to the embattled northern Syrian city of Aleppo, while a separate mission this week brought much-needed emergency supplies for children and women in Talbiseh, near Homs, one of the hardest hit areas in the country.  

With the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and other UN agencies, UNICEF brought to Aleppo four trucks filled with 89 medical kits, 2,000 family hygiene kits and 2 resuscitation kits, along with 1,000 towels, 48 boxes of soap, summer clothing and school supplies.     

"The situation is extremely difficult because of the conflict," said Ettie Higgins, Deputy Representative of UNICEF Syria, after returning to Damascus from Aleppo on Thursday. "But UNICEF continues to work around-the-clock and with partners to ensure that children, no matter where they are, and who live in the most difficult and horrendous circumstances, are reached with lifesaving support."

In a separate mission benefiting more than 55,000 people, nine trucks filled with emergency medical supplies, food, 1,000 family hygiene and 500 baby kits, along with 160 school-in-a-box supplies and 900 bottles of shampoo, arrived in Talbiseh. 

"I will never forget how happy children were when they saw the trucks of supplies arriving, and especially when they first saw the educational materials for them," said Abdul Kadir Musse, Chief of the UNICEF Homs Field Office. He noted that mothers were particularly pleased to receive medicine for their children.

Living conditions inside Syria, especially in the hardest hit areas, have become increasingly difficult. Children continue to bear the brunt of the crisis, as violence escalates. Many hospitals, schools and homes have been destroyed. More than four million people have been displaced inside Syria, half of them children, with many living in over-crowded and unsanitary conditions. 

Despite obstacles on the ground and funding shortages, UNICEF and partners continue to deliver assistance for children inside Syria and those who have fled to neighboring countries. 

Donors have provided generous support for UNICEF’s work, but the needs of Syrian children and their families are growing exponentially, and additional funding is urgently required.

How to Help

For more information or to make a tax-deductible contribution to UNICEF’s relief efforts, please contact the U.S. Fund for UNICEF:

Website: www.unicefusa.org/syria
Toll free: 1-800-FOR-KIDS

Text: SYRIA to 864233 to donate $10
Mail: 125 Maiden Lane, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10038


As with any emergency, in the event that donations exceed anticipated needs, the U.S. Fund will redirect any excess funds to children in greatest need.

About UNICEF

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in 190 countries and territories to save and improve children’s lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when ZERO children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For additional information, please contact:

Susannah Masur, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.880.9146, smasur@unicefusa.org
Kiní Schoop, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.922.2634, kschoop@unicefusa.org