Why Are People Fleeing Syria -- And How Can You Help?

by Jo Morgan

Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011. The government only controls 30-40% of the country’s territory. The government itself has been accused of gross human rights violations of its own people.

Different military insurgence groups have been trying to take control of the country. Some of these have been funded by Western countries. One group,  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),  jihadist militant group originating from Iraq, now controls a third of Syria's territory and most of its oil and gas production, thus establishing itself as the major opposition force.

The United Nations has described ISIL as a terrorist organisation responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes, and Amnesty International has reported ethnic cleansing by the group on a "historic scale". Over 4 years of unrest have created the worst humanitarian crisis in the modern history of the Middle East region. Over 12 million Syrians are in need for humanitarian aid, around 6 million people have been internally displaced, and more than 3 million refugees have fled to neighbouring countries. 

Source: Islamic Aid

For many refugees, once they’ve made their way to a safer country, the danger is not over. Hungary now plans to extend a 175km razor wire border fence and to take children away from their parents as they arrive (source: The Independent). The charity Save the Children have so far helped 275,000 Syrian children and family members with food, safe water, medicine, and shelter. More than 5.6 million children still need humanitarian aid.

On Thursday, 1 October  we are going to ask for your cash donations towards this appeal. We also urge you to come to the Charity Showcase that evening at 19:30 in the DRT.  As a school community we hope to make the biggest impact that we can. Look out for collection buckets and  and please give generously. Thank you.