How to help the children of Syria
If the refugees of Syria were a country, they’d have the worst percentage of out-of-school children in the world. Since 2011, 1.9 million Syrian children in grades 1-9 have dropped out of school with 3,000 schools damaged or destroyed.
Over 1 million children are now refugees of Syria. Over 3 million children are still living in Syria in dire situations.
These children have lost the home they've known, many, their families, and the opportunity to grow and prosper as they struggle to grasp what has just happened to them. They’ve witnessed violence, travelled many miles by foot to escape and must find a new future.
Organisations and communities in neighbouring countries are working hard to provide them with essential shelter, food, and the chance to continue their education – and the number of children to provide for growing by the thousands daily.
But the money needed to fund this work is shamefully lacking.
Even if the UN plans for 2013 are fully funded, less than half of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon alone will be in school – and only 31% of the money needed to achieve this modest goal have been found so far.
We must work together in order to support efforts to provide humanitarian aid. We have developed a plan to provide Education without Borders so that the Syrian refugee children in Lebanon can go to school within a few weeks. Creating a school environment for refugees means that the children will not lose important time to learn, it gives them the opportunity to receive meals, and gives them a sense of normalcy in the midst of turmoil.
Here are a few ways you can help:
Sign the petition:
We're calling on the international community to support our plan to provide immediate education and school meals for Syrian children.
Add your voice to our petition, which we will deliver to world leaders on 23 September at the United Nations General Assembly. Add your name here
Tweet for good:
Every time this tweet is shared, $1 will go towards humanitarian aid:
Donate:
Donations are badly needed for existing work to establish schools, provide books, and other humanitarian aid. Here are just a few of the organizations you can support:
- UNHCR – Just $34 USD can provide at ‘back to school kit’
- UNICEF – making sure Syrian children can keep learning
- Save the Children – keeping children safe and providing basic needs
- World Food Programme – largest provider of school meals and $72 can feed a family for an entire month
Your efforts will go towards providing temporary schools, purchase supplies such as books, writing materials and recreational equipment. In addition to basic humanitarian needs such as shelter, food, and clothes.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the issues at hand and how to support the millions of children in the middle of a crisis in Syria.
Now share this post with your friends!
Photo: Jonathan Hyams/Save the Children