The White Helmets

What The White Helmets does

The White Helmets (legally Syria Civil Defence) is a Syrian-led humanitarian non-profit organization founded in 2013 to deliver emergency response services in areas of Syria affected by the ongoing civil war. It is headquartered operationally across Syria and operates through a network of Emergency Response Centers staffed by 3,000+ volunteers. Its service portfolio spans four programmatic pillars: (1) Search & Rescue and Firefighting, where volunteers are dispatched to bombing sites to rescue trapped civilians and extinguish fires; (2) a Health Program delivering primary and reproductive health consultations plus emergency medical services (12,500 EMS responses per month); (3) a Protection Program supporting vulnerable populations in conflict zones; and (4) a Justice and Accountability Program documenting violations and gathering evidence for accountability processes. The organization also conducts unexploded ordnance clearance, with cumulative disclosed impact of 25,892 UXO items cleared and 13,569 fires extinguished.

The business model is non-commercial: services are provided free of charge to 4.5 million beneficiaries, and operations are funded through grants from seven government donors — Canada, Germany (Deutsche Zusammenarbeit), France (Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires Étrangères), the United States (USAID), the United Kingdom (UK Aid), Denmark (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), and Qatar (Qatar Fund for Development). Reported cumulative impact since founding includes 128,326 lives saved, 421,861 primary health consultations, and 5,600 reproductive health consultations. The organization has received a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and significant international media coverage.

The organizational context has shifted materially in 2025. At its 10th annual general meeting on May 31 – June 1, 2025, the White Helmets publicly discussed the integration of Syria Civil Defence into the Syrian Government, a structural development that may reshape governance and funding relationships going forward. As of August 2025 the group continued to issue statements on volunteer safety incidents and produced a report on double-tap attacks against its volunteers, with 308 volunteers killed since 2013, more than half in targeted strikes.

Name

The White Helmets

Legal name

Syrian Civil Defense

Website

https://syriacivildefence.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The White Helmets (Syria Civil Defence) is a Syrian-led non-profit founded in 2013 that deploys 3,000+ volunteers across conflict-affected areas of Syria to deliver search and rescue, firefighting, emergency medical services, UXO clearance, and health and protection programs to 4.5 million civilians, funded by government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Emergency Response Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Response & Search-and-Rescue (SAR) (BPAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE), Civilian Protection & Stabilization Operations (BPADAFAF), Disaster Relief & Humanitarian Aid Volunteering (EDAIAGAF)

Keywords

• Humanitarian emergency response
• Search and rescue services
• Emergency medical services
• Unexploded ordnance clearance
• Civil protection programs

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Aid: Funding from government development agencies and foreign affairs ministries including Canada, Germany, France, USA, UK, Denmark, and Qatar.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The White Helmets (Syria Civil Defence) provides free humanitarian emergency response services to civilians affected by the Syrian conflict. Its core offerings include search and rescue operations during bombings, firefighting, emergency medical services, unexploded ordnance clearance, primary and reproductive healthcare, civilian protection, and justice and accountability documentation. Over 3,000 volunteers deliver these services directly across Syria through Emergency Response Centers, serving a community of 4.5 million people.

Product overview

The White Helmets (Syria Civil Defence) operates as a unified humanitarian service organization, not a technology platform. The organization offers four interconnected core programs that work together to serve communities in Syria: the Search & Rescue and Firefighting Program provides immediate emergency response during attacks; the Health Program delivers primary and reproductive health consultations and emergency medical services; the Protection Program safeguards civilians; and the Justice and Accountability Program documents violations and supports accountability efforts. These programs collectively serve approximately 4.5 million people across Syria, with over 3,000 volunteers delivering emergency response and community resilience services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Search & Rescue and Firefighting Program Emergency response program in which volunteers rush to rescue trapped civilians during attacks, extinguish fires, and minimize further injury to people and damage to civilian infrastructure in conflict-affected areas of Syria.
• Health Program Humanitarian health services providing primary health consultations, reproductive health consultations, and emergency medical services to communities affected by the Syrian conflict. Delivers 12,500 emergency medical services per month and 421,861 primary health consultations to date.
• Protection Program Program focused on protecting civilians and communities from harm and providing support and assistance to vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas of Syria.
• Justice and Accountability Program Program dedicated to documenting violations, gathering evidence of war crimes, and supporting justice and accountability efforts for atrocities committed during the Syrian conflict.

Quantifiable outcome

• 128,326 lives saved
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Responds to humanitarian crises worldwide with emergency aid, health, and protection programming. Comparable as a multi-program humanitarian NGO delivering emergency response in conflict-affected contexts.
• HALO Trust: The world's largest humanitarian mine-clearance organization, directly comparable to the White Helmets' 25,892-cleared UXO program. Both operate in post-conflict environments clearing unexploded ordnance with donor-funded field teams.
• Direct Relief: Humanitarian medical aid organization providing emergency health services and supplies in conflict and disaster zones. Comparable on the humanitarian health-services delivery side of the White Helmets' Health Program.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders: International medical-humanitarian organization providing emergency healthcare in conflict zones. Comparable on the medical-services side, particularly given the White Helmets' Health Program and emergency medical services delivery.
• Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian organization delivering emergency relief, health services, and protection programs in conflict zones. Comparable across multiple White Helmets programs including emergency response and community resilience.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): The leading international humanitarian organization providing emergency medical aid, protection services, and civilian protection in armed conflict. Comparable as a globally recognized conflict-zone humanitarian operator with overlapping SAR, medical, and protection mandates.
• UN OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs): UN body coordinating international humanitarian response in crises including Syria. Comparable as the coordinating counterpart and donor-side stakeholder that channels funding to frontline responders like the White Helmets.
• Syrian Arab Red Crescent: The official Syrian humanitarian aid society operating across Syria with emergency medical, ambulance, and disaster response services. Most direct comparable given same operating geography and overlapping mandate in delivering humanitarian aid to Syrian civilians.
• Palestine Red Crescent Society: National Red Cross/Red Crescent society operating emergency medical services, ambulance, and SAR in an active conflict zone (Palestine). Strongly comparable on operating model — civilian volunteers delivering emergency response under bombardment.

Emerging players

• Ukrainian State Emergency Service: State civil-defense body providing SAR, firefighting, and emergency response in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Comparable as a frontline SAR and emergency response operator in an active conflict zone analogous to Syria.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SyriaCivilDef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The White Helmets