The Syrian Refugee Crisis
This weekend we went to the mountains for a little while. We spent an hour or two climbing up a trail and enjoying the view. At the end of the short hike my kids were thirsty, hot, hungry and dirty. We had plenty of water with us and snacks in the car and that night we tucked our boys safely into bed, after they bathed and put on fresh jammies. But after we got home I saw this post from Samaritan's Purse about all the refugees traveling to escape the violence that has over taken their cities (ISIS).
I thought, if my kiddos were tired, hot and dirty after just a couple hours of walking, what must these kids feel like? Many have been traveling for weeks, and most have lost everything in the journey. There's no clean jammies and warm bed waiting at the end of the day. In fact, they often don't even know what country they will be in at the end of the day.
World Vision has put together the map above that really helps us understand the enormity of this journey. It shows how a family coming from Aleppo, Syria to the border of Serbia will have to travel over 1,400 miles (Check out their post about this: here.) Many of these miles are being trekked on foot. World Vision also has a great post about what is happening, who is affected and how World Vision is responding with aid. You can click here to read that and to help through World Vision.
"Nearly 12 million Syrians have been forced from their homes by the fighting — half are children."
I thought, if my kiddos were tired, hot and dirty after just a couple hours of walking, what must these kids feel like? Many have been traveling for weeks, and most have lost everything in the journey. There's no clean jammies and warm bed waiting at the end of the day. In fact, they often don't even know what country they will be in at the end of the day.
World Vision has put together the map above that really helps us understand the enormity of this journey. It shows how a family coming from Aleppo, Syria to the border of Serbia will have to travel over 1,400 miles (Check out their post about this: here.) Many of these miles are being trekked on foot. World Vision also has a great post about what is happening, who is affected and how World Vision is responding with aid. You can click here to read that and to help through World Vision.
"Nearly 12 million Syrians have been forced from their homes by the fighting — half are children."
-- World Vision
Samaritan's Purse has been posting updates from their workers on the ground in Greece, and other check points. They have been helping with medical care (with some of their staff doctors checking on refugees at certain check points), and distributing backpacks with much needed health and hygiene items as well as snacks and comfort items for kids. Their help is tangible. If you are watching news clips of thousands of people walking and walking; everything they own in a plastic grocery bag--and wondering what you can do, here is something you can do. Watch the video to get a sense of what's happening, what these families are going through, what they've lost and how desperately they need hope, and see how Samaritan's Purse is helping them. You can donate directly to Samaritan's Purse's European Refugee Relief by clicking here (and scrolling to the bottom).
They need help today.
They need hope to make it to tomorrow; to the next check point.
There are good organizations making a real impact in this ongoing crisis and we can partner with them.
I feel like there's so little I can do to help, but I think too often we claim our ability to only make a small impact as an excuse to do nothing. We can not do nothing.
Samaritan's Purse has been posting updates from their workers on the ground in Greece, and other check points. They have been helping with medical care (with some of their staff doctors checking on refugees at certain check points), and distributing backpacks with much needed health and hygiene items as well as snacks and comfort items for kids. Their help is tangible. If you are watching news clips of thousands of people walking and walking; everything they own in a plastic grocery bag--and wondering what you can do, here is something you can do. Watch the video to get a sense of what's happening, what these families are going through, what they've lost and how desperately they need hope, and see how Samaritan's Purse is helping them. You can donate directly to Samaritan's Purse's European Refugee Relief by clicking here (and scrolling to the bottom).
"We've not come here for enjoyment. All of us are hopeless people."We can't look away from what families just like ours are going through on the other side of the world. I don't know what is going to happen to these families, but I know this:
They need help today.
They need hope to make it to tomorrow; to the next check point.
There are good organizations making a real impact in this ongoing crisis and we can partner with them.
I feel like there's so little I can do to help, but I think too often we claim our ability to only make a small impact as an excuse to do nothing. We can not do nothing.
“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
- Mother Teresa
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