Aleppo was once the largest city in Syria and the country’s industrial and financial center. However, the ongoing 5- year war in the country has devastated the city and has displaced millions of Syrians.
Over the last three years, the organization has airlifted 80 tons of relief items into Iraq. These included multifamily shelters, plastic sheeting, food, gas stoves, cooking supplies, mattresses, baby beds, shoes,clothes, winter coats, blankets, and heaters. ~Brandon Cobb, Samaritan’s Purse
Many have lost their loved ones and the intense fighting has destroyed archaeological sites and key structures in the city. Families are leaving the violence in Aleppo and they need help to survive. They have been uprooted from their homeland and are now dependent on other people for their basic needs.
Various foreign organizations have been sending aid to those affected in the Battle of Aleppo.
Samaritan’s Purse, a non-denominational evangelical Christian International Relief organization based in Boone North Carolina, provides humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees in Iraq.
Brandon Cobb of Samaritan’s Purse told One Christian Voice, “Over the last three years, the organization has airlifted 80 tons of relief items into Iraq. These included multifamily shelters, plastic sheeting, food, gas stoves, cooking supplies, mattresses, baby beds, shoes,clothes, winter coats, blankets, and heaters.” He said they have worked with local Christian partners in Iraq to distribute the relief goods to 60,000 refugees.
Since September 2015, Cobb said, Samaritan’s Purse has mobilized church partners in Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Hungary. Together with these partners, they assisted refugees and given them their essential needs.
Many evacuees are stranded in Greece, and Samaritan’s Purse is now focusing on giving relief to official camps. Cobb disclosed that out of 40 to 50 refugee camps in Greece, they have distributed relief items to 33 camps.
World Vision is another Christian humanitarian organization that provides humanitarian aid to affected children and families in Syria since the beginning of the conflict. They now have an ongoing campaign called Light a #Candle4Syria where they call on people to light and display candles in windows to raise awareness about the refugee crisis in Syria.
World Vision urges people to use the hashtag #Candle4Syria to show solidarity with Syrians. This campaign is an opportunity for people to express compassion to those who are suffering in Syria’s civil war and serves as a challenge to world leaders to find a way to finally end the war.
Samaritan’s Purse and World Vision are just two of the many organizations providing relief to Syrian refugees. To give your support, you can go to these following websites:
Samaritan’s Purse Middle East Relief
Sources:
Samaritanspurseorg. (2016). Samaritan’s Purse. https://www.samaritanspurse.org
Worldvisionorg. (2016). World Vision. https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/light-candle-syria-candle4syria
Bbccom. (2016). BBC News. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18957096
