Fatima was heavily pregnant when a series of violent earthquakes tore through parts of Türkiye and Syria. In an instant, she and her two sons lost everything — including their home.

Fatima and her newborn in their temporary tent following the destructive earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.

Skilled UNFPA workers were among the first to arrive on the scene, helping Fatima safely give birth to a healthy baby boy shortly after the earthquakes. But since her home was destroyed, she had only a thin tent to bring her newborn baby home to.

Winter storms intensified the damage in the region. Sharp, bitter winds reaching as high as 45 miles per hour shook the walls of the tent, and a series of blizzards rolled in. For a few long weeks, Fatima and her sons knew nothing but the freezing winds. 

“Because of the cold, my children were constantly crying,” Fatima told UNFPA. “Your services are vital to us.”

Due to the urgent need for UNFPA services, gifts will be matched for a limited time. That means your gift today is 100% more impactful for displaced women, girls, and mothers like Fatima. Please send the gift of hope this holiday season and let them know that the world has not forgotten them.

This winter, thousands of families like hers still have nothing to protect them.

UNFPA teams are on the ground providing essential, lifesaving support, yet the needs are far greater than available resources.

Every year, millions of people displaced by conflict, natural disasters, or other events have no choice but to endure the winter in thin tents shuddering from the wind. In places such as Türkiye, Syria, Gaza, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, the freezing winters can be life threatening.

You can be there for mothers like Fatima who are trying to raise their children despite unimaginable conditions and insecurity. Please, make a matched gift that delivers double the care, supplies, and support to women and girls who need it most around the world.

Thank you for being there for women and girls this winter.

— USA for UNFPA