Millions of ordinary women, men and children are facing the brunt of Syria’s horrific war. The stories we hear are heart-breaking. Reema, for example, is only 12 years but has been through so much already. Her school was bombed and she was fortunate to survive – other children weren’t so lucky. Reema’s home was destroyed and she was forced to flee as a refugee. Now she waits in limbo as her country disintegrates into violent conflict.
The brutal impact of the Syrian conflict is staggering:
- Over 70,000 people have been killed
- Around 5.75 million people have been forced to flee their homes
- 8.3 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance – both inside Syria and living as refugees in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
Millions of those affected by this crisis have gone without assistance because of insufficient funds. Enough is enough. While the conflict rages the least we can do is ensure that those caught in the crossfire can access basic assistance such as food, clean water and shelter.
On June 7, the United Nations will launch a new appeal for funds for Syria. It is likely to be over $5bn and will be the largest humanitarian appeal in history. Australia has given generously to Syria so far, but now is the time to do more.
Take action
You can show your support to the people of Syria by sending a tweet to the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister asking Australia to increase our aid to Syrian refugees. Sample Tweet:
8.3m Syrians need aid. Aust must respond to #UN appeal by doubling #aid4Syria today @JuliaGillard @bobjcarr @OxfamAustralia
We’re saving lives, but with thousands of families fleeing Syria daily, we need to reach more than 650,000 women, men and children over the coming year.