Celebrating resiliency on the 5th anniversary of the Syrian Crisis

Earlier this month we wrapped up the second leg of our Forced to Flee tour with Chadwick Stokes. To date we’ve been in 30 cities raising awareness about refugees and the situation in Syria tabling at concerts and and through service projects and engagement events at 16 stops along the way. We’re incredibly inspired by the response you all have had to this work and are excited to see you join in this effort.

Photograph courtesy of Oxfam America

Sunday, March 15 marked the 5^th Anniversary of the ongoing crisis in Syria. Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International has called it “one of the worst refugee crises since World War II, displacing millions of civilians, mostly women and children,” Estimates indicate that the number of people in need inside Syria is around 12.2 million, approximately 6.4 million of whom are internally displaced. More than 200,000 people have been killed and around 680,000 injured. More than 3.7 million people have fled Syria; the largest numbers are hosted by Lebanon. 

According to our partners at Oxfam America, Syrian women and girls face increased risks and multiple forms of violence, as a result of the conflict and displacement, including domestic violence, forced and early marriage and sexual violence, such as sexual abuse, exploitation and other negative coping mechanisms. While women and girls report domestic violence as one of the key protection concerns, anxiety over the safety of family members and exploitation at work affects men too. UNHCR has faced challenges with regards to underreporting of sexual and gender-based violence, particularly of sexual violence, for example due to cultural constraints and access so the numbers of those affected is likely to be much higher than estimated.

83% of all the lights in Syria have gone out since the start of the conflict, according to the #WithSyria coalition, of which Oxfam is a member. In some places, like Aleppo, the darkness is even greater, with 97 percent of the lights off. We need to do more to stand by this community and show them they are not forgotten.

Photograph: Mayday Rescue via The Guardian

However, the news isn’t all bleak. Ordinary people are showing extraordinary courage in the face of fear, violence and devastation, committing unseen acts of heroism and courage as they continue through the crisis. 

Here are a few stories that we wanted to share: 

• Abu Mahmood started a pizza delivery service in Jordan's Za'atari refugee camp. You read that right. Mahmood, who lost his home and livelihood and was forced to leave Syria in 2012, has shown true entrepreneurial spirit and resiliency in the face of extreme adversity.

• The White Helmets, a group of volunteers have stepped in as first responders and risk their own lives to conduct search and rescue missions. Women have played a key role, “In some cases, they are the only hope for other women or girls who are trapped under rubble. In Syria’s most conservative communities, people have refused to let male volunteers rescue women and girls – but the women have intervened to help those who wouldn’t have been helped otherwise.”

• Photograph: Hannah Rose Thomas via UNHCRIn Jordan, around two hundred refugees were involved in painting three UNHCR tents over three days, transforming the shelters into works of art. The images speak for themselves (click the link or image to see more) and the tents will be used as exhibited as part of Refugee Week celebrations and at events commemorating World Refugee Day on June 20.

Stories like these are being shared every day and we're excited to continue our campaign to raise awareness about the Syrian crisis. From teachers and parents maintaining a sense of everyday life to civil society leaders negotiating ceasefires, these heroes offer some light in the darkness. We can help support them. Learn more about current efforts to stand #WithSyria.

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