Winter campaign relief items are what displaced, refugee and most affected families need to get through the cold safely: winter clothes and blankets, heaters and fuel, food baskets and shelter materials. In the 2023-2024 season, Qatar Charity distributed these items through the “Like One Body” campaign in 14 countries, and 7.5 million people benefited from them at a cost of nearly QAR 188 million, according to Al Sharq newspaper on 3 December 2024.
What do winter campaign relief items include?
The campaign’s items cover five basic needs, as listed in the announcement of the “How Long?” campaign for winter 2024-2025:
- Personal warmth: winter clothing bags, blankets and covers.
- Heating: heaters and their fuel.
- Food: food baskets, bread and school meals.
- Shelter: shelter kits and tents, house rent and repair, and providing and maintaining caravans.
- Health and hygiene: primary health services, first aid and personal hygiene kits, and water tanks.
These items complete one another. A blanket is not enough in a tent that lets the rain in, and a heater is useless without fuel. That is why the campaign combines warmth, heating, food and shelter, and does not stop at just one of them.
Why do affected families need these items every winter?
Because the cold sometimes reaches tents and temporary shelters before aid does. On 31 December 2025 a storm hit 90 displacement sites in northern Syria and affected more than 150 thousand people, about 5,000 shelters were damaged, and two infants died from the cold in the Harem area, according to the United Nations on 6 January 2026.
After the storm, relief teams provided heaters and fuel to more than 10,000 displaced people. But fuel ran out at sites in Hasakah and Raqqa after its support ended in December 2025. And by 6 January 2026, only USD 29 million of the 112 million needed for winter assistance in Syria until March 2026 had been secured. That is why every donation of a heater or a blanket makes a direct difference on a cold night.
Where does Qatar Charity distribute winter aid?
In the 2023-2024 season, about QAR 68 million went to Palestine and benefited more than 884 thousand people. More than QAR 48 million went to northern Syria and Syrian refugees in Turkey for about 4.5 million people, and more than QAR 12 million went to Yemen for more than 107 thousand people.
In winter 2024-2025, the charity launched the “How Long?” campaign at a cost of about QAR 72 million in 25 countries, giving priority to Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen and northern Syria. It allocated blankets, mattresses and winter clothes to sponsored orphans in 16 countries.
Inside Qatar, the aid goes to workers: food baskets, winter bags and medical check-ups. In the 2023-2024 season it reached about 4,500 workers.
How have winter campaigns evolved over three seasons?
The names of the campaigns change from one season to the next, but the basket of items stays much the same. In the “Keep Me Warm” campaign for winter 2022-2023, the items included food baskets, clothing bags, blankets, heaters, heating fuel and tents. It added medicines, hygiene kits and support for children’s education in areas of refuge and displacement.
| Season and campaign | Announced cost | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-2023, “Keep Me Warm” | About QAR 80 million | 15 countries, with a target of more than 1.2 million people |
| 2023-2024, “Like One Body” | Nearly QAR 188 million | 14 countries, and 7.5 million beneficiaries |
| 2024-2025, “How Long?” | About QAR 72 million | 25 countries, including Qatar |
The items differ by place and group. Displacement areas need shelter and heating items first, orphans need blankets, mattresses and clothes, and workers in Qatar need winter bags and medical check-ups. That is why every campaign starts by identifying the need before buying and distributing the items.
How can you help warmth reach families?
Choose the need closest to your heart, from a blanket or a heater to a food basket or a shelter repair. Then take part through the donation page. To understand the full picture, read Winter needs in northern Syria’s camps, and learn about the basic needs of displaced people in winter.
Frequently asked questions about winter campaign relief items
What are the most important relief items in the winter campaign?
Winter clothes and blankets, heaters and heating fuel, food baskets, and shelter materials such as tents, shelter kits and house repairs, along with hygiene and first aid kits.
How many people has the Qatar Charity winter campaign reached?
The “Like One Body” campaign for the 2023-2024 season reached 7.5 million people in 14 countries, at a cost of nearly QAR 188 million, according to Al Sharq newspaper on 3 December 2024.
Why is heating fuel an urgent need?
Because a heater without fuel does not protect from the cold. In winter 2025-2026, fuel ran out at displacement sites in Hasakah and Raqqa after its support ended in December, according to the United Nations on 6 January 2026.
Do winter campaign items differ from one place to another?
Yes. In the 2024-2025 campaign, shelter kits, heating devices and fuel were allocated to displacement areas, blankets, mattresses and clothes to sponsored orphans in 16 countries, and winter bags and medical check-ups to workers in Qatar.
