Guest post by our charity partners, The Hands Up Foundation
For many, the clean slate that early 2021 once promised simply hasn’t transpired. We’d hoped to see the back of the pandemic but have been let down. For many Syrians though, Covid is the last thing on their mind. After all, millions of Syrians have faced similar tragedy – death, destruction, hunger, and poverty – and more, for the last ten years now.
For a country that is caught up in war, that has seen over 500,000 people killed since 2011; that has a corrupt government and an economy deteriorating so drastically that almost 80% of its civilians have been pushed below the poverty line and that has negligible international support from countries with the power and resources to do so much more, the Covid pandemic is just another thing to add to the bottom of a very long list.
According to the UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, Syria is “the worst man-made disaster since World War II”. The temptation to lose heart can be overwhelming. How do we keep spirits high when continuously knocked down? We have found the answer in the Syrians we have met: the most determined, hospitable, and resilient around. There is so much good work, by good people, being done in Syria and we must never forget this.
How we help | strengthening communities
At the Hands Up Foundation, we are fortunate enough to work with some incredible people who, after ten years of conflict, continue to put their lives on the line to protect children and families who have been affected by war. We work with local Syrian organisations – SAMS and SAWA – that know the needs and context of their communities better than anyone. Our mission is to strengthen these communities, sending aid directly to those in need. If they won’t give up, why should we?
We are not so naïve to think that we can solve all the challenges facing Syrians, but as UK international aid is cut from 0.7% to 0.5% and President Assad is re-elected just this year alone – many organisations, like ours, give a lifeline to vulnerable Syrian communities when they need it most.
When positive change can feel a long way off, we enable life-saving work to strengthen the stability of local society and, crucially, to foster hope. Since 2012, with the help of our generous donors, we have given over 180,000 Syrians access to healthcare and education. Some who particularly stick in our mind are Maryam, Ibrahim, Fatima and Rayan.
By funding SAMS to provide medical care in northern Syria, and SAWA to provide education to Syrian refugees living in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, we fill a major gap working in precarious and hard-to-reach areas that are often overlooked by other international charities. This, of course, isn’t without its challenges – just this month Al-Shifaa Hospital in Afrin, northern Syria, run by SAMS, was directly targeted by two missiles hitting the labour and delivery room and the emergency room, killing hospital staff and ambulance drivers.
The world is looking away
However, despite the endless risks and challenges, the biggest risk of all is that people forget Syria. While Covid creates a further need for aid in Syria, simultaneously other countries and their governments are preoccupied with their own handling of the pandemic. The situation in Syria is worsening by the minute but the world is looking away.
We are working hard to prevent this from happening further. We aim to put the uncomfortable topic of Syria at the forefront of people’s minds and remind them that there are positive ways to help; we do not need to feel hopeless. It can be tricky and disheartening at times, but every day we are encouraged by our supporters, who show they care. That’s why we will continue to work tirelessly for as long as we are needed. Now more than ever – when it is easiest to look away and we are in what Lina Sinjab calls “Syria’s darkest hour” – we must not neglect, or forget, our friends in the Middle East.
How you can support us
You can support Hands Up by spreading the word, buying from Pink Jinn’s Balad Al-Sham collection or by making a small monthly donation – just £5 a month can provide stationery kits for six children for a year.
The Hands Up Foundation is a London-based charity providing urgent humanitarian relief to survivors of the Syrian conflict. They provide education for refugee children in the Bekaa Valley, salaries for health workers at a clinic in rural Aleppo, and prosthetic limbs to amputees on the Syrian-Turkish border. We are proud partners of Hands Up, donating 1/3 of the profits from the Balad al-Sham collection in the Pink Jinn Souq to support their incredible work. Shop now to show your support for the people of Syria.
