The Syrian struggle to safety
Gaia Squarci/McClatchy/TNS from Tribune News Service
Syrian refugees at the port of Tripoli, Lebanon, waiting to board the ferry Lady Su, which travels to Tasucu,Turkey, in a twelve-hour journey. The ferry, which was scheduled to depart at 10 p.m. on September 21, left the port at 10 a.m. the following day due to regular delays and an truck accident during loading.
October 15, 2015
Thousands of people have fled Syria in the past months due to a bloody civil war sparked by Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship. Syria’s citizens, more specifically the Sunni Arabs (the country’s heaviest demographic), had been unhappy with the dictator and his ruling years before the war. Al-Assad’s troops have brought meaningless violence to the once peaceful country and need to be stopped.
“About 250,000 people have been killed and half of the country’s population has been displaced, with 4 million fleeing as refugees” according to Vox.com.
Even though it seems like Chicago is millions of miles from these refugees, Chicagoland citizens can still make a difference. Basic things like fundraising and donating are always appreciated, but there is more we can do.
According to the Mercy Corps web page one of the biggest ways to help is to share the refugee’s stories. By staying informed and spreading the word about one refugee, word can get to others who may not have found the confidence to make the journey into becoming a refugee.
John Barcanic, an employee at World Relief Chicago had quite a bit to say about what can be done here in America to help these people. “People can participate in advocacy.” He said. “Write letters to congress on behalf of the refugees asking them to allow more refugees to come into the country.”
“We have a fundraiser coming up on Oct. 3 called Ride for Refuge where people can raise money and then ride their bikes. It’s a really great time.” Barcanic said.
“A total of $11,000 has been raised so far.” Baracanic said.
Even the smallest amount of money can help make a change and with the help of people here in Chicago, a difference can be made in these refugee’s lives.
The Syrian citizens are faced with a tough choice, face death in their home country or face likely death attempting to escape. The risk these people are taking is tremendous.
“There was a shelling everyday in our neighborhood” an interview from CBS World News tells us. This refugee is afraid of what his new life will look like in the country of Jordan, but he knew he had to get his family to safety.
The Syrians are risking everything to have a better life and they need help from those of us not running for our lives to make it. Though the refugee crisis is happening thousands of miles away there is so much we can do here to help.
