Further to my last post, I wanted to include more information about the non-profit organization, Save the Children - a charity that I deeply believe in. They have received the prestigious 4-star rating (highest rating), multiple years in a row from Charity Navigator (the largest charity evaluator), and 89% of the dollars you donate go directly to helping the people they are working to support - significantly higher than most non-profits. They currently have thousands of staff and aid workers in Syria and the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Iraq, doing their part to provide many types of relief.
I spoke with a top representative of Save the Children today who shared details about their efforts providing schools, prenatal care, medical assistance for young children, pop-up clinics, birth support, psychological support, food and water. They have set up schools and safe places for children to play in the camps, and offer support for the high school students who were so close to reaching their goals of going to college and having successful careers before the war - now to probably never receive their high school diploma and potentially forced into a life of poverty.
She also shared that before the war began, Syria was a strong country full of middle-class people; educated, hard working professionals, much like in the US. They are people just like us.
To put it into perspective - this is basically as though the US military suddenly started a war against American citizens - and we were forced leave our husbands and fathers behind to fight while we fled with our children to Mexico (I don't speak Spanish), and live in horrible conditions either within a refugee camp or in boxes on the side of the road. Scared, cold, hungry. Lonely and isolated. No relatives near. Trying to take care of our children, but with no income and very little hope.
This is the reality for millions of people. Save the Children and other non-porfits are there - doing everything they can to save lives and provide any relief possible to these beautiful people living in unimaginable conditions under unthinkable terms. I urge you to support in any way you can - their website provides a ton of information about their efforts and what it's really like over there, and I hope you will check it out here.
As I sit in the comforts of my cozy, safe home with my healthy family tonight, my thoughts and prayers will be with all of those who suffer so far away…