During the night of Monday, February 6, 2023, several earthquakes destroyed entire streets in the Turkish-Syrian border region. Thousands of people were killed or injured, including many children. There are big holes in the houses where the families' living rooms and bedrooms used to be. Because the first earthquake happened at night and surprised people while they were sleeping, many were injured by falling parts of the buildings.

After natural disasters like these, it is the children who need special protection and targeted help. UNICEF is one of the few aid organizations on site in northern Syria.

One of the focal points of the aid is providing children and families with clean drinking water and access to sanitary facilities. This is always very important after natural disasters to prevent communicable diseases. The emergency services on site are concerned that there have recently been many cholera cases in Syria.