For months, we’ve all watched the steady unfolding of a humanitarian crisis. Waves of refugees, driven from their homes by violence and war, have given up everything to escape. They’ve crossed nations on foot and open water in cramped, unsafe boats, just to reach someplace — anyplace — safe. UNHCR’s job is to help them survive and recover: to provide aid and shelter, reunite families, and support people as they struggle to build new lives. 
 
 This year alone, half a million refugees have found their way to Europe. Many of them arrive exhausted, malnourished, and carrying the few possessions they could save. Six thousand more are arriving in Greece each day. Globally, more than half of the refugee population is under 18. Often, children end up separated from their loved ones, lost in strange new places. 
 
 UNHCR is helping, in Europe and around the globe. And you can help them. At the invitation of the White House, we’re joining the effort to support their important work. Any money you give through this campaign will go directly to USA for UNHCR to provide aid to people who need it — everything from food, water, and warm clothes to special care for children separated from their families. 
 
 Look above to see what your support could provide to people in need, from the most basic necessities to the tools to keep communities together. This is a complex and evolving crisis, and there are no overnight solutions. But even a small contribution can give a family a place to sleep, or a child a set of dry clothes — and to them, that helps a lot. 
 
 USA for UNHCR is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations to USA for UNHCR are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. 

 The crowdfunding website, which normally backs creative projects, will raise money for humanitarian relief in a project featuring Guardian video reportage 
 
 A White House initiative on behalf of Syrian refugees has brought together the crowdfunding website Kickstarter and the United Nations refugee agency for a weeklong fundraising push that all sides hope could represent a breakthrough in charitable giving for Syria. 
 
 Syrian refugee crisis: why has it become so bad? Read more 
 
 A specially dedicated Kickstarter page launched on Tuesday morning invites donors to make tax-deductible contributions to help Syrian refugees, with all proceeds going to the US Association of the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). 
 
 The fundraising site will feature video reportage by the Guardian on the refugees’ plight. 
 
 
 
 The project took off after the White House contacted Kickstarter, known for crowdfunding creative projects, two weeks ago to talk about new ways to get the US public involved in the Syrian relief effort, said Kickstarter’s CEO, Yancey Strickler. 
 
 “I immediately said yes,” Strickler said. “This is not something that we have ever done before. We have always kept the platform focused strictly on creative projects. 
 
 “But in this instance, it’s a call from the White House. And feeling, like a lot of people, overwhelmed by the immensity of this situation, we felt compelled to act, and felt like if our product could provide any path forward for the people, we should do that.” 
 
 The UN refugee agency welcomed the partnership as a potentially powerful new tool in providing relief to hundreds of thousands of refugees making their way into Europe from Syria and in intermediary refugee camps. The Syrian conflict has displaced an estimated 11.6 million people in under five years. 
 
 “This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to partner with a group like Kickstarter,” said Anne-Marie Grey, executive director of USA for UNHCR. “This is a terrific opportunity, and it’s a very different group of people than would normally raise their hands to support refugee causes, so it’s really quite exciting.” 
 
 Donations will go toward the purchase and distribution of life-saving equipment including tents; emergency rescue kits including water, food and warm clothing; sleeping bags, thermal mattresses, sleeping mats and other lifesaving essentials; and foster care and counselling. 
 
 The material will be delivered to refugee camps and communities around Syria, and to refugees traveling from various points into Europe. An estimated half a million refugees from the Syrian conflict have arrived in Europe this year, and 800,000 or more are expected by year’s end. 
 
 About 51% of the refugees are women and children, Grey said. “These are people like you and me,” she said. “The statistics are huge, but we’ve got to remember that these are individual human beings, and this is about humanity.” 
 
 
 
 Unlike other Kickstarter projects, the project to help Syrian refugees does not have an all-or-nothing funding goal. All donations in any amount will be accepted. Backers will be charged as soon as they donate. Kickstarter plans to donate its usual 5% fee to the refugee agency. 
 
 In its six-plus years in business, Kickstarter has raised nearly $2bn for creative projects from some 10 million unique backers. About a third of those are repeat donors. 
 
 'My body is in America but my soul is in Syria': a refugee family's journey to US Read more 
 
 Last month, President Obama directed his administration to prepare to accept 10,000 new refugees from Syria in the next fiscal year. The effort faces significant logistical barriers, including delays from mandatory background checks and from a backlog of cases. 
 
 By the end of September, the United States was expected to have admitted 1,800 Syrian refugees total, in almost five years of fighting, out of about 70,000 refugees the United States accepts for resettlement each year. The United States had spent $4bn on security and fresh water and food for Syrian refugees living in camps outside the country.
– Kickstarter is crowdfunding for Syria, at the request of the White House, which asked if the crowdfunding website could find ways for the US public to help Syrian refugees, the Guardian reports. The result: this special Kickstarter page launched Tuesday, through which people can donate money that will go to the US Association of the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). "UNHCR is helping, in Europe and around the globe," the campaign page explains. "And you can help them. ... Any money you give through this campaign will go directly to USA for UNHCR to provide aid to people who need it—everything from food, water, and warm clothes to special care for children separated from their families." Though "we have always kept the platform focused strictly on creative projects," Kickstarter's CEO tells the Guardian, in this case, "I immediately said yes" to something different. Typically, when you choose a donation level on Kickstarter, you get the reward that is associated with that level—but in this case, donation levels are associated with what your money might do. For example, $15 "could provide one person with a mat and sleeping bag to rest in," while $70 "could provide two people with a complete emergency rescue kit, including water, food, a thermal blanket, and dry clothes." And, unlike a typical Kickstarter campaign in which funds are only dispersed if the funding goal is reached, "all contributions will be collected immediately at the time they’re made"—and both Kickstarter and the website's payments partner are waiving their usual fees, so all donations minus a small credit card processing fee will go directly to USA for UNHCR. As of Tuesday morning, more than 1,500 backers had donated more than $87,000. The campaign ends in one week. Donations are tax-deductible in the US.