Bombardment has left those civilians still stranded throughout Aleppo without access to medical facilities, food or shelter, while tens of thousands of internally displaced refugees are also in urgent need of aid.

Government forces, pro-Assad militias and armed opposition groups have all been accused of obstructing the flow of aid around Syria's largest city. On 18 December, buses intended to convey civilians out of the city were burned by an Islamist anti-government faction, while the Assad regime has repeatedly blocked aid convoys from entering the city.

In such circumstances, large charitable organisations may find it easier to cross political lines and deliver aid. But even the Red Cross has been unable to access parts of Aleppo from April until now, and smaller grassroots organisations with closer ties to local people can be more effective at turning donations into meaningful change on the ground.

Here are 16 different ways you can try and make a difference to ordinary residents still surviving in the decimated city.

UNHCR.

The United Nations' Refugee Agency has been criticised for its response to the global refugee crisis, but its policy of giving cash directly to refugees fleeing Aleppo and other war-struck locations across the region is seen "the preferred means of assistance" by a majority of Syrian refugees. $430 million (£346 million) has been given to displaced people across the globe this year, and $355 million (£286 million) in the Middle East alone. Donate here.

The Syrian American Medical Society.

An organisation with ties to the Aleppo area, SAMS provides financial and logistical support to beleaguered medical professionals in Syria, as well as online learning resources for Syrian medicine students. Donate here

Médecins Sans Frontières.

The globally-respected medical relief organisation has seen its hospitals in Aleppo destroyed by indiscriminate bombing, but continues to send medical supplies to evacuees in Aleppo governate. Donate here.

In pictures: Aleppo bombing Show all 14 1 /14 In pictures: Aleppo bombing In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Smoke rises after airstrikes on the rebel-held al-Sakhour neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family runs for cover amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of Al-Qatarji in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man reacts as he stands on blood stains at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Aleppo's al-Fardous district, Syria, April 29, 2016. Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damage of the airstrikes in the rebel-held area of Aleppo on April 28 Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo The damaged the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians evacuate an injured man amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following an air strike on a rebel-held of Aleppo on April 29, 2016. AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo People inspect the damage at a site hit by airstrikes, in the rebel-held area of Aleppo's Bustan al-Qasr AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A man leads a woman in tears and child out of the scene after airstrikes hit Aleppo AP In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Civil defence members search for survivors after an airstrike at a field hospital in the rebel held area of al-Sukari district of Aleppo Reuters In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian boy is comforted as he cries next to the body of a relative who died in a reported air strike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Soukour in the northern city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo A Syrian family walks amid the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike in the Bustan al-Qasr rebel-held district of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers and rescuers remove a baby from under the rubble of a destroyed building following a reported air strike on the rebel-held neighbourhood of al-Kalasa in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrians help a wounded youth following an air strike on the Fardous rebel held neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo Getty Images In pictures: Aleppo bombing Bombing in Aleppo Syrian civil defence volunteers evacuate people from a damaged building following a reported airstrike in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tareeq al-Bab in the northern city of Aleppo

Hand in Hand for Syria.

As the name suggests, a hands-on organisation which prides itself working directly with Syrians inside Syria, even when other aid organisations considered it too unsafe. They had a team inside Aleppo when it was over-run by Assad loyalists last week and are still sending aid into the area. Donate here.

Life for Relief and Development.

The largest Arab-American humanitarian charity, which is running an emergency appeal to get together basic supplies for families displaced from Aleppo into the harsh Syrian winter. Donate here.

Islamic Relief.

Vital hands-on work is being carried out in Aleppo by the multinational charity, distributing medical supplies, food parcels and fuel and airlifting severely wounded civilians to Turkey for treatment. Donate here.

Humanitarian Relief Organisation.

This Turkish organisation is en route to Aleppo in a convoy of 1500 aid trucks, while simultaneously bussing orphans out of the city to safety. Donate here.

Red Cross (Red Crescent).

"We are getting ready to resume the evacuation of people from eastern Aleppo," a Red Cross spokesperson announced yesterday, after intitial relief efforts collapsed following the failure of the ceasefire. They're working in partnership with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, an independent organisation based in Damascus. Donate here.

Toddler weeps for dead father in harrowing footage from Aleppo

Syria Relief.

A British charity with an exclusive focus on Syria, fundraising for heating kits, blankets and wood fuel, among other services. Donate here.

Kesh Malek.

As late as 2 December, Kesh Malek was running seven underground schools for 1700 children in rebel-held Aleppo, though these were temporarily suspended as the siege worsened. Donate here.

Syria Relief and Development.

Another relatively grass-roots organisation, with a particular focus on supporting women. They're currently fundraising for the 30,000 people who have fled Aleppo in the past week. Donate here.

Zakat Foundation of America.

Zakat, the act of giving a percentage of your wealth to charity, is one of the five Pillars of Islam. This Islamic organisation is sending relief packages into the overwhelmingly Muslim city. Donate here.

International Orthodox Christian Charities.

Another religiously-motivated charity bringing aid to people displaced from Aleppo. Donate here.

Mercy Corps.

Among other services, this NGO is providing clean drinking water and hygiene kits to protect families from disease. It was in the city until September, and is now preparing to receive evacuees. Donate here.

Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations.

A coalition of humanitarian, non-governmental, and medical organizations from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Turkey, brought together in 2012 to tackle the Syrian crisis on non-partisan grounds. Donate here.

The White Helmets.