FOREST, Va. — For most Americans, Christmas is a season of family time, gift giving and joy — but that is not the case for millions of refugees around the world.
This winter, countless refugee families are stranded in overcrowded displacement camps across the Middle East. Many of them have lost loved ones, such as a father who provided for the entire family. Others have few possessions, let alone anything to give someone else. And nearly all of them are living in despair, fearful of how they will survive the frigid weather ahead.
Vernon Brewer, founder and CEO of humanitarian organization World Help, recently traveled to refugee camps near the Jordan-Syria border to deliver aid provided by World Help supporters. The World Help team distributed essentials including towels, diapers, hygiene kits, nonperishable food items, winter coats and space heaters.
Brewer also visited a medical clinic that treats thousands of refugees. The clinic’s medicine cabinets are stocked by World Help through donations provided by supporters.
“We say, ‘Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year,’ but that is not the reality for millions of refugees around the world,” Brewer said. “For them, this is the beginning of the hardest season of the year, as they not only have to fight hunger and displacement but also the elements.”
“This is why World Help is calling for people to respond generously to provide relief during these harsh and difficult months. You can bring these vulnerable refugees help for today in the heart of winter, through essentials they need to survive; but most of all, you can are bring eternal hope in Jesus, which is what Christmas is all about.
World Help recently released its annual Christmas Giving Catalog, which includes humanitarian aid items that fulfill two functions in one: a gift for a friend or relative and a gift for a person or community in need. One of the gifts featured in the catalog is “Christmas for a Refugee.”
On Giving Tuesday, Nov. 27, World Help was featured on FOX News @ Night, hosted by Shannon Bream, during the show’s “Midnight Hero” segment. You can watch the segment toward the closing of that episode.
While in Jordan, Brewer uploaded several video updates from the refugee camps he visited. In one, Brewer recounts the story of the Zin family, which he has been visiting for several years.
After ISIS destroyed their home in Syria, the Zin family fled to a refugee camp in Jordan. With no possessions and unable to legally work, they were forced to collect scraps of breads to sell to farmers in the area. But their story has a happy ending. When they first arrived at the refugee camp, Mrs. Zin sought treatment at one of the clinics supported by World Help donors. There, she heard about Jesus and decided to become a believer. Since then, the entire family has become followers of Jesus.
“Thanks to generous supporters, we have seen lives transformed and hope rekindled in places where there was none, but we still need your help. Resources are scarce in refugee camps around the world, and this is the most dangerous time of the year for refugees. Please help us help them,” Brewer said.
Every $35 gift, when combined with grants and generous corporate donations, enables World Help to deliver $189 worth of aid — providing food, survival essentials and medicine to thousands of refugee families. To learn more about World Help’s refugee work, click here.
Media note: Vernon Brewer will hold a conference call at 8 p.m. (EST), Wednesday, Dec. 5, to share his firsthand account of life in a refugee camp. To join, can call (434) 234-0015 and enter the code 491827.
Brewer will also be available for interview. Please contact MediaInquiries@theKcompany.co to schedule a time to speak with him.
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World Help is a Christian humanitarian organization committed to serving the physical and spiritual needs of people in impoverished communities around the world. Since its inception in 1991, World Help has delivered humanitarian aid to more than 82 million people in 71 countries.