Looking to help Syrians in Aleppo? Here are some options.
After what the U.N. has called a "complete meltdown of humanity," evacuations are underway in the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Held by rebels since 2012, pro-government forces backed by Russia have waged an intense battle to reclaim the city in recent months.
Almost 600 civilians, more than 100 of them children, have been killed in the city since mid-November, according to a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cited by Al Jazeera. At least 463 of the civilian deaths, including 62 children, were killed by government forces in the eastern part of the city.
An evacuation deal was struck late on Tuesday as government forces seized most of Syria's largest city, but it did not hold, and bombings and violent clashes continued. According to the U.N., civilians were likely being killed in summary executions by pro-government forces. Approximately 80,000 civilians were said to be trapped in the few miles of eastern Aleppo held by rebels, and UNICEF says that 100 unaccompanied children were trapped in a building under heavy attack, according to Al Jazeera.
As President Bashar al-Assad lauded the fall of Aleppo as "the writing of history," the Guardian reported that 951 people have been escorted out of the city and that Turkey is promising to evacuate 50,000 more over the next three days.
As the evacuation began, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and head of the U.N. task force on humanitarian access in Syria, took to Twitter to criticize the international community's response to the horrors of the crisis.
While what's next for the city is unclear, there are still ways you can help the victims of the crisis in Aleppo and Syria, as well as refugees from the Syrian civil war. Here are some organizations working in Syria to help victims of the humanitarian crisis.
International Committee of the Red Cross
The ICRC, in conjunction with the Syrian Red Crescent, entered the small enclave of eastern Aleppo early Thursday to begin evacuating the wounded, NPR reported.
Buses and ambulances are evacuating residents to rebel-held countryside in the northern part of Syria, per NPR.
Close to 1,000 have been evacuated so far, with a second convoy expected later on Thursday, according to Reuters, who also reported that some of the ambulances had come under fire from pro-government forces, leaving three injured.
According to the ICRC, the organization has carried out at least 55 frontline missions in Syria and has been able to reach people in difficult to reach areas.
Here is how to donate.
UNICEF
On Monday, UNICEF released a statement calling on the world to "stand up for the children of Aleppo and bring their living nightmare to an end." The organization promised to provide assistance for evacuating residents.
Juliette Touma, the children's charity's regional chief of communication for the Middle East and Northern Africa, told NBC on Tuesday that perhaps 100,000 civilians had been trapped in the city in conditions that had even experienced aid workers stunned.
"I'm not sure I have the words to start describe the situation, for children in particular," Touma said.
On Thursday, as evacuations got underway, the Independent posted a video showing a group of children in the war-ravaged city pleading to be rescued and for peace.
To donate to UNICEF to help Syrian children, go here.
The White Helmets
Formed in 2013, the White Helmets — also known as the Syria Civil Defense — is a rescue organization dedicated to helping victims at the scenes of attacks.
According to the organization's Twitter account, a White Helmet volunteer was wounded by a pro-government sniper while helping with evacuations.
Go here to donate.
Other organizations
For more ways to get involved, Charity Navigator, a charity vetting web site, has complied a list of organizations working to help victims of the Syrian civil war.
