As of yesterday, tens of thousands of civilians had been successfully evacuated in this complex operation.
We took this video near the front line in #Aleppo this morning. With snow falling, it's freezing and many have little means to keep warm. pic.twitter.com/Oa0hECDuYs
— ICRC Syria (@ICRC_sy) December 21, 2016
This evacuation will allow humanitarian organizations to reach and assist people who have been wounded and other vulnerable people who have not had access to humanitarian assistance.
It is estimated that more than 13.5 million people across Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance. To put that into perspective, that’s about a third of the population of Canada.
ICRC aid worker Pawel Krzysiek shared this heartbreaking tweet last week:
I rarely see so much suffering like here in Mahalej where thousands of people from East #Aleppo live now. Their situation breaks my heart pic.twitter.com/7dS9blsxub
— Pawel Krzysiek (@PKrzysiekICRC) December 12, 2016
How Canadians can help
The Canadian Red Cross has been providing support to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent for four years, with a focus on health. This includes essential health care for women and children, nutrition centres, medicines and medical logistics. Canadians are invited to support these ongoing efforts by donating to the Syria Crisis Fund.
Learn more about the Red Cross response to the Syria crisis.