“We are not forgotten!”
Over the past few decades, it seems that the people of Syria have hardly even had time to draw on breath between crises. Trying to recover after a civil war, dealing with radical attacks, receiving hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring, even more unstable, countries, and then a huge and destructive earthquake. Over these years, Crossroads has established a partnership with a group working in some of the most troubled areas of the country and this is the fourth shipment we have sent them. This container included wheelchairs, clothes and shoes, sleeping bags and tents, school supplies and toys.
“There was a huge amount of appreciation when people learned that the goods came from people they had never met!” NGO report
Above: 6-year-old Sam was thrilled to receive new clothes and even a toy.
All the messages our partner received from those who had assisted them in distributing the goods in different areas contained two common themes: firstly, there was amazement that absolute strangers from the other side of the world would send such high quality and useful items. Secondly, receiving these goods not only fulfilled basic needs but also saved them spending scarce money that they needed for more urgent things like visiting a doctor, paying rent, and buying food and fuel for heating.
Hanan was born disabled, and after her father died and the family was displaced from their home, her dream of owning a wheelchair seemed more impossible than ever. Our partners did however make the dream come true and she calls the chair her “best friend.”
Tents and sleeping bags were literal lifesavers for those whose homes had been destroyed in last year’s earthquake – snow and freezing temperatures are common in the mountainous areas.
