CAM provides food and other aid for the suffering
Seven years of war have left Syria battered, and still the fighting continues. While the war’s intensity has ebbed and flowed, 2018 brought a marked increase in violence.
During one skirmish in February, 500 people were killed in one week’s time near the capital city of Damascus. Yet these people represent only a tiny fraction of the approximately 500,000 who were killed in Syria since the war began in March 2011.
Syria’s children know nothing but war
By now, 3 million Syrian children have lived their entire lives in a country gripped by civil war. Many of them live chaotic lives, fleeing conflict zones with their families to areas they hope are safer.
And far too many of Syria’s children have not survived. In just the first few months of 2018, at least 342 Syrian children have been killed and 803 injured.
Families who flee find shelter wherever they can. In one area, a CAM contact met two Syrian families with six children living in an unfinished house. The walls were concrete blocks, and instead of windows and doors, there were only gaping holes. One of the children was a five-day-old baby.
Money buys only 10 percent of what it did before the war
The relentless war has also created an economic crisis in Syria. Due to sanctions and the devaluation of the Syrian currency, basic goods cost almost ten times as much as they did before the war began.
This means that even if a Syrian still earns as much as he did before the war, the money now buys only 10 percent of what it did seven years ago.
Millions of Syrians have left their country in hopes of a better future elsewhere. The majority are scattered in refugee camps or substandard housing in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt.
Though they have escaped the fighting, they continue to face tremendous challenges.
Families are desperate for food
In Turkey, a CAM contact brought a food parcel to a needy Syrian widow with four children. Her house was bare.
She said, “My 14-year-old son earns money and buys bread by collecting plastic bottles from the trash. That is how we are able to eat. But my neighbor is a widow too, and she didn’t eat for two days. Please give this package to her.”
In Lebanon, a Syrian widow said, “My situation was very miserable, and my children and I were crying because of our lack of food.”
Your love and support makes a difference
With your generous support, CAM has been able to minister to suffering Syrians in a variety of ways.
- Food for displaced people inside Syria and to refugees throughout the region
- Sea containers of hygiene kits, wheelchairs, clothing, blankets, and other essentials
- Christian schooling for some of the thousands of Syrian children who are not able to go to school
Despite what we have been able to do, tremendous needs remain.
As Syria staggers into its eighth year of war, we feel compelled to continue our support for those who are suffering. By God’s grace we want to help as we can. Your love and support for the people of Syria are greatly appreciated!
