whitehelmets.orgSupport the White Helmets

The White Helmets Language: English العربية Deutsch Français русский Español Türkçe Donate Support Syria's Heroes Join people and make a donation now Please enable JavaScript in order to donate Donations are securely processed and 100% of the money raised goes directly to the White Helmets Can't donate now? Sign up to show your support. United Kingdom Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Guyane Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saint-Martin Saint-Pierre et Miquelon Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis et Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Want to receive updates about the White Helmets? Because of new rules in the EU, we can only update you about the White Helmets if you select the ‘Yes’ button below. Are you happy to receive updates from the White Helmets and other urgent actions from The Syria Campaign to support civilians in Syria? Yes No Are you sure? We need all the support we can to save lives in Syria. If you select ‘Yes’ then The Syria Campaign can keep you updated about the White Helmets and other ways to support Syrian civilians. You can unsubscribe at anytime. Sign up Thank you for signing up Please share this campaign Facebook Twitter Something went wrong, please try again later COVID-19 Emergency The recent military campaign launched by the Syrian regime and Russia on northwest Syria has forced nearly a million people to flee their homes, many are living in overcrowded camps with little access to running water, soap or cleaning products. They’re among the most vulnerable populations to a COVID-19 outbreak in the world. Years of deliberate attacks on medical personnel, hospitals, and health centers have left the health infrastructure crumbling. In the face of this unprecedented threat, the White Helmets are stepping up once again to help those at risk. Volunteers are disinfecting buildings, schools, tents, and camps. They’re going door to door to raise awareness among communities. They’re helping set up quarantine facilities in coordination with the medical sector, and they’ve trained special teams on how to evacuate infected patients to hospitals. The White Helmets: a story of hope When the bombs rain down, the White Helmets (also known as the Syria Civil Defence) rush in. In a place where public services no longer function, these humanitarian volunteers risk their lives to help anyone in need – regardless of their religion or politics. Known for their distinctive headwear, the rescue workers operate in the most dangerous place on earth and have saved more than 100,000 lives over the past five years. Former bakers, tailors, engineers, pharmacists, painters, carpenters, students and many more professions besides, the White Helmets are volunteers from all walks of life. Many have paid the ultimate price for their compassion – 252 have been killed while saving others. The volunteers save people on all sides of the conflict – pledging commitment to the principles of “Humanity, Solidarity, Impartiality” as outlined under international humanitarian law. This pledge guides every response, every action, every life saved so that in a time of destruction, all Syrians have the hope of a lifeline. Their inspiring work has earned them recognition at the highest international levels and they have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times. The White Helmets’ motto is taken from the Quran: 'to save a life is to save all of humanity'. In a conflict where too many have chosen violence, the White Helmets wake up every day to save the lives others are trying so hard to take. “In every mission there is a 50% chance I’ll live and 50% chance that I’ll die. But in the end, I’ve left my mark. I’ve left children who are going to live and complete our future.” Rady, White Helmet From the People, for the People As Syria’s peaceful revolution descended into conflict in late 2012, the Syrian government began dropping bombs on homes and neighbourhoods in areas outside of their control. These strikes were the first explosions of an aerial war on civilians that would lead to tens of thousands of deaths and millions displaced from their homes. In the areas under attack public services no longer functioned so groups of volunteers formed to provide emergency response in communities across Syria. These self-organised groups would respond to the cries of their neighbours and friends trapped under the rubble. They had no specialised equipment or training and were powered only be their concern for human life. In March 2013, some of these volunteer teams received their first training in Turkey on the work of ‘urban search and rescue’ from a training organisation that specialises in response to natural disasters, such as earthquakes. With this training the groups became more organised, establishing civil defence centres and specialised teams. By 2014, there were teams in seven governorates across Syria. In October 2014, these teams voted to form one national organisation, the White Helmets (or Syria Civil Defence) and pledged allegiance to a set of international humanitarian values and principles as laid out in the Geneva Conventions. The White Helmets is led by a democratically-elected Leadership Council that represents teams across the country, headed by Raed al Saleh who was formerly the Head of the White Helmets in Idlib, northern Syria. The work of the White Helmets has expanded in response to the needs of the communities they serve, now providing essential...