Syria's children in the cold: Shorook's story
Shorook, 9, and her sister Malak, 13, arrived at Za’atari camp in Jordan two weeks ago from Syria. This is their story.
Nine-year-old Shorook in a tent at the camp. © UNICEF/2012/Bruere
Shorook and her sister took warm clothes wit them when they left Syria, and when they arrived at the refugee camp in northern Jordan they were issued with blankets. But even so, the freezing nights are hard to bear.
"We bought a suitcase of winter clothes, but it was very difficult for us to carry," Shorook says.
The nights are very cold, and she adds that she has started wetting the bed: "The toilets are so far away and it is very cold at night … The little kids use a bucket in the tent."
"The water in the bathrooms is very cold," says Malak, who needs to wash each morning before school. "Sometimes we heat water with gas and wash in the tent, but it is very expensive to buy gas here."
UNICEF is working hard to help children like Shorook and Malak by sourcing warm winter clothing, providing heating and insulation for schools and children's play spaces, and supplying hot water in shower blocks.
But money is short. We desperately need more funding to make sure these families can survive winter in the camp.
Please donate to our Syria appeal today