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From the Field3 min read

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On the Syrian border: A plea for help

Vernon Brewer
Dec 05, 2018

“People come and go, promising to help,” Tariq said. But that help rarely comes.

I met Tariq this week in a refugee camp, where his family is struggling to survive. I’ve changed his name to protect him. They receive a stipend of just $15 per month — an impossibly small amount for a family of four.

When the Syrian refugee crisis first began, it was always in the news. Organizations all over the world were rushing to help those in need like Tariq. But on this trip to the Syrian border, I saw the truth. Refugees are no longer in the news, and the promised aid no longer shows up.

The situation is desperate. But for $35 you can provide $189 worth of cold-weather essentials and help rescue a refugee this winter.

Like most of the refugees I’ve introduced you to, Tariq lived a normal life before the war. He had a wife, two precious children, and a large extended family that lived close by. He had a job, and he had certainty that his future would be good.

Then the attacks came, and most of that was lost.

Tariq lost his brothers, his mother, and his uncle in the attacks. His home was set on fire and he was forced to take his remaining family and flee. In one day, the life Tariq had so carefully built was literally burned to the ground.

But he can’t think about all that. He’s got today to worry about.

He worries about how he will feed his children or keep them warm and healthy this winter.

He talks about how other relief organizations pledged to help … about how many donations have stopped and life has become even more difficult. World Help’s partners are one of the few living up to their promises, he says.

While we were on the ground, we were able to give Tariq’s family some much-needed supplies like rice, oil, and blankets. Generous donors even pledged to provide the critical medical treatment Tariq’s wife needs to heal her of an autoimmune disease. The disease is already causing her to go blind in one eye, and without this treatment, she would likely lose all mobility on her left side.

The family was overjoyed by the wonderful news that she will receive the help she needs.

But many other families are still waiting for help to arrive — and we have to continue to respond.

These men, women, and children have faced unspeakable horrors, and unless we step in to help, their future will be no better. For just $35, you can provide $189 worth of essentials like food, blankets, warm clothing, medicine, and more for one refugee. Your gift will help someone like Tariq face the future with confidence.

You will help a parent feed their starving child. You will give an old woman the warm blankets and clothes she needs to make it through the winter. And you will help families afford emergency medical treatment — treatment that will save lives.

During this trip, I have met so many people and heard so many stories — and I want to share those with you. Tonight at 8 p.m. (EST), you can call 434-234-0015 and enter the code 491827 to hear my firsthand account of life in a refugee camp.

The more time I spend with these refugees, the more certain I am that we can’t forget them. We must do what we can to help!

Please give today and show a refugee that he is not forgotten.

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