One of the areas that is relatively stable is the Kurdish-controlled area in northern Syria. There are still many refugees entering the area and many are starving. Due to Turkey's blockade against the Kurds, there are very few food items and there is not enough food on the market. Everything is very expensive and families in particular are struggling to make ends meet.
Lamia's husband was paralyzed in the war - and she couldn't feed their family
Let me tell you about a Kurdish woman named Lamia. She came with her four small children to a pastor we support and asked for help because she could no longer feed her family. Lamia's husband suffered a serious injury in the war, is now paralyzed and can no longer provide for his family.
There is currently no social safety net in Syria and no help for those in need, so Lamia worked hard to support her family. Together with her young children, she made cement blocks to sell on the street and the children didn't go to school.
But now the economy has gotten even worse, so she came to our pastor completely burned out and frustrated and asked for help.
The pastor tells us: “Right now, many are reaching their limit. The conditions are too hard. There are not many men because the war has taken them. They are either dead, injured or still active on the front lines“. Women like Lamia have to do the majority of the work of cooking, raising and caring for the children.
Lamia came crying, at the limit of her physical ability, and received emergency help from the church.
She now comes to church every week with her children. Recently she said: "I came to the church as a Muslim in need and they helped me without hesitation. Before there was no one to help me. Now it's my family."
The need for emergency aid is still enormous
The need for emergency aid is still enormous, and you can put clothes on people's bodies and feed hungry stomachs. On average, it costs around DKK 652 to provide a refugee family with water, food, kitchenware, hygiene items, clothing and medicine for a month.
Support Syria: Emergency aid for Christians and other displaced people
Through self-help, vulnerable people can get a boost
Due to the partial ceasefire and slightly improved situation in parts of Syria, we also want to help vulnerable Syrians get started with income-generating projects so they can become self-sufficient.
This could be sewing, farming, sheep breeding, a bicycle taxi business, selling mobile battery recharges, cheese, jam and candy production, dairy production, or hairdressing.
It only costs around $334 to ensure that a vulnerable Syrian is helped to earn their own money - so they can stay in Syria and rebuild their lives and their country.
Thank you for extending a helping hand to people in need in Syria. They've been through so much, but spring is springing here too, and they see an end to six years of grueling civil war.
All the help is given by local Christians. With their acts of kindness towards all people, Christian and non-Christian alike, they point in a practical way to Jesus, His love and the life that is in Him.
You can stand together with local Christians to encourage and help vulnerable families to find hope, relief and self-help out of poverty.
Working with local Christians and people in need, you can take the first tentative steps to lift Syria out of its desperate situation.
