The Domiz refugee camp in northern Iraq hosts almost 40,000 refugees from Syria. Domiz is a dense camp full of tents and people everywhere. I visit the camp every day to familiarize myself with the many UNICEF-supported activities. This week, while visiting the child-friendly space, I met the wonderful volunteers and staff who are organizing recreational and social activities for children.

Many of us think that the crisis in Syria is a political one. But it is not — it is a children’s crisis, and it is among the biggest in the world. Over 3.8 million children are affected by the violence in Syria, and over 700,000 children are refugees. While UNICEF and its partners are doing everything they can to help affected children and families, UNICEF’s efforts are severely underfunded. If funding is not received in the next weeks, millions of children will suffer. We are urgently calling on the entire donor community to support UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in and around Syria.

The conflict in Syria has affected 2 million children. More than half a million have fled to neighboring countries, leaving behind family, friends and schooling. With over 375,000 Syrian refugees, Lebanon has the highest number of refugees in the region. The country is experiencing a huge strain on its resources, and it, too, urgently needs assistance to deal with an influx of hundreds of thousands of new residents. To learn more about the situation and get a report from the ground in Lebanon, watch the Google Hangout we had on May 7 with Luciano Calestini, UNICEF’s head of emergency response in Lebanon.

Many of us think that the crisis in Syria is a political one. But it is not — it is a children’s crisis, and it is among the biggest in the world. Over 2 million children are affected by the violence in Syria, and over half a million children are refugees. While UNICEF and its partners are doing everything they can to help affected children and families, UNICEF’s efforts are severely underfunded. If funding is not received in the next weeks, millions of children will suffer. We are urgently calling on the entire donor community to support UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in and around Syria.

The conflict in Syria has taken a terrible humanitarian toll. More than anything, this is a children’s crisis. Of the one million refugees, half are children. Inside Syria, two million children are affected, and 800,000 are displaced.
UNICEF has been on the ground, doing all it can to help the children and families affected by the violence.
But a huge funding gap threatens UNICEF’s efforts on behalf of these desperate children: 78% of the funds that UNICEF needs have not been raised. Without immediate additional funding, UNICEF will have to halt many of its key lifesaving interventions.

Imagine seeing a friend killed or your home destroyed. Imagine living in a stranger’s house, sharing one room with 20 others, or sitting in a dark cave with 50 students and a teacher you have never met before. This is life for many of the children living through the conflict in Syria.
Earlier today, UNICEF USA hosted a Google+ hangout with three UNICEF staff members who have been on the ground in Syria. Here is what they had to say about the situation on the ground, what UNICEF is doing, and what more needs to be done.