Syrians Can't Be Helped Without More Donations, U.N. Says (HOW YOU CAN HELP)

U.N.: We Can't Help Syrians Without More Donations
A boy plays with a balloon in a Syrian refugees camp in Azaz, near the Turkish border, on January 10, 2013 after snow falls. Snow carpeted Syria's war-torn cities but sparked no let-up in the fighting, instead heaping fresh misery on a civilian population already enduring a chronic shortage of heating fuel and daily power cuts. AFP PHOTO / EDOUARD ELIAS (Photo credit should read EDOUARD ELIAS/AFP/Getty Images)
A boy plays with a balloon in a Syrian refugees camp in Azaz, near the Turkish border, on January 10, 2013 after snow falls. Snow carpeted Syria's war-torn cities but sparked no let-up in the fighting, instead heaping fresh misery on a civilian population already enduring a chronic shortage of heating fuel and daily power cuts. AFP PHOTO / EDOUARD ELIAS (Photo credit should read EDOUARD ELIAS/AFP/Getty Images)

* Four mln need help in Syria as well as 700,000 refugees

* Shifting control of neighbourhoods complicates aid

* Donor conference scheduled for Jan. 30 in Kuwait

BEIRUT, Jan 28 (Reuters) - The United Nations warned on Monday that it will not be able to help millions of war-hit Syrians without more money and appealed for donations at an aid conference this week in Kuwait to meet its $1.5 billion target.

It has raised just 3 percent of that so far.

Some 4 million Syrians need food, shelter and other aid inside the country and nearly 700,000 more have fled to neighbouring countries since the 22-month-old conflict began, U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos told reporters in Beirut.

Aid agencies have struggled to help Syrians in the country because control of some areas changes frequently and humanitarian workers have been kidnapped and killed, said Amos, hours after she returned from a visit to Syria.

The United Nations says it needs about $1 billion to help refugees in neighbouring countries including Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, and another $519 million to help people inside Syria.

"We very much hope that the countries attending that conference will be generous in supporting our appeal. We cannot do our job without the resources to enable us to do that," she said, referring to a conference to be held in Kuwait on Jan. 30, chaired by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Syria's conflict began in March 2011 as a peaceful protest movement, but rebels took up arms after the government cracked down on the demonstrations.

The rebellion has since become a full-scale civil war. Insurgents have taken swathes of rural territory from government forces but have failed to capture major cities and towns. More than 60,000 people have died, the United Nations says.

Last month, the United Nations withdrew 25 of its 100 foreign aid workers from Syria as fighting intensified around Damascus, but said it was committed to maintaining aid work.

Amos said control of neighbourhoods was changing on "an almost daily basis", further complicating aid efforts.

"We are doing all we can to make sure that our assistance inside the country reaches those in need, but it's very difficult given the insecurity and the volatility of the security situation," she said. (Reporting by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Louise Ireland)

See ways below to help those fleeing to refugee camps in neighboring countries:

UNICEF
UNICEF is collecting funds dedicated to the immediate needs of displaced Syrian children. As winter sets in, the organization is focused on addressing the challenges a colder climate brings to some of the conflicts most vulnerable victims. Learn more here.

Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps has been working in Syria since 2008. Now with the escalating humanitarian crisis, the organization is responding to the needs of refugees in Lebanon and Jordan refugee camps -- increasing access to clean water and providing psychological support for children. Learn more here.

International Red Cross
The ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are working together to feed the millions of Syrian refugees, provide medical care to those in need and war-surgery training to doctors treating casualties in neighboring Lebanon. Learn more here.

Save The Children
In response to the humanitarian crisis and plummeting temperature, Save The Children is providing children with warm blankets, shoes, clothes and winter-aid packages for infants. Learn more here.

War Child
War Child, a UK-based charity dedicated to helping children affected by conflict, has been working in Lebanon creating six ‘safe spaces’ in schools to provide art and music therapy for affected children and has helped 400 youngsters enroll in school. Learn more here.

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