Connecting a fundraiser in the US with her heritage and a country in crisis

There are 51.2 million forcibly displaced people in the world. Because of fear of persecution, war or armed conflict, these people were forced to leave their homes, and sometimes country, with little preparation, few resources and little to no belongings. Approximately 16 million of these people are refugees who have fled their home countries. 80% are women and children. The conflict in Syria alone has driven over 10 million people from their homes, with 3 million of them fleeing to neighboring countries. It is the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.

This fall Calling All Crows is organizing Forced to Flee, a tour with musician Chadwick Stokes, dedicated to raising awareness about refugees and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. We encourage you to join us on tour for a community engagement event or service project.

Laura Tenekjian, an NH5K2014 fundraiser and Calling All Crows supporter, shared her personal connection to the situation with us:

Our father is Armenian and was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria. After completing medical school at the University of Beirut, he made the difficult decision to leave his family to pursue a career in medicine in the United States. In 1973, he moved to West Virginia to begin his residency, met and married my mother a few years later and began to build a life far away from his original home. Growing up, our dad made sure that my brother, sister, and I were well aware of our Armenian heritage and saw to it that we formed close bonds with all of our family still living in Aleppo.  

We visited Aleppo several times as children and as young adults, allowing the family bond to grow and with that, our love and respect for Aleppo and Syria as a whole.  We have nothing but fond memories of our trips to the Middle East and we feel lucky to have experienced the culture and the food, and to have visited architectural landmarks such as the Citadel and the Souk in the old part of the city.

Aleppo has a rich history, which is one of the many reasons that the civil war is such a devastating crisis. Aleppo, as we knew it, is no longer. Our family, along with so many others, have been forced to move to other neighboring countries seeking safety and a hopeful future. Although we've spoken with them at length about their situation, it is impossible to know what it feels like to have your home ripped away from you and your country torn apart by war.

It is our hope that this event and others like it will not only raise funds for Syria and it's people, but also that they raise awareness about the magnitude of the crisis in the country. We are participating in this event in honor of our Armenian family in Aleppo, and for the beautiful country of Syria and it's people.

If you want to support Laura in her fundraising efforts for our NH5K, visit her page.

Photo credit: Mark Tenekjian