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 fifth shipment we will be sending to them. With ever more people driven from their homes by natural disasters, political strife, prejudice against minorities and violent conflicts, scope for our partners’ work just continues to grow!
Their particular emphases are on emergency relief, providing medical infrastructure and personnel, and helping displaced people to establish small businesses.
For this shipment, they have specially asked us to send computers for their “caravan classrooms,” medical equipment and nursing supplies for care of the elderly, kitchen goods to assist people starting small businesses, toys to bring joy and distraction to traumatized children and – as always – as much clothing, footwear and camping supplies as will possibly fit in one container.
“There was a huge amount of appreciation when people learned that the goods came from people they had never met!” wrote our partners after delivery of the previous container we sent.
The goods were distributed among nine different refugee camps, medical clinics and schools as well as to villages with populations of ethnic and religious minorities that are frequently overlooked by larger aid agencies.
Tents and sleeping bags are literal lifesavers for those whose homes had been destroyed by natural disaster or by violence – snow and freezing temperatures are common in the mountainous areas.
Sourcing equipment for clinics in remote areas and refugee camps is a key part of our partners’ work in Syria and surrounding areas.
Ghassan lost his family, his home, his job and his health as the result of war in his district. Provision of a wheelchair, oxygen concentrator and a good bed have literally saved his life.
