I’m not going to lie, it’s getting harder and harder to turn on the news each night. There’s so much conflict in the world right now that I struggle with what I want my kids to see. So I turn off the television only to turn to the computer and find the same terrible unrest splashed across my social media outlets. It’s beyond disheartening, it’s heart breaking.
This year marks the fifth year of war in Syria. It’s an issue that I’ve been following following for quite a while. Stories of young mothers drowning as they make an attempt at freedom, stories of families being torn apart as half the family leaves for freedom promising to return for the others as soon as a new life in a new country is secured, and stories of displaced children with simply no place to go. Those are the stories that hit me the hardest, right in the gut and when I’m not expecting it. Fact is, there are lots of Syrian refugee children with no place to go. It’s no surprise that the current Syrian refugee crisis is actually the largest refugee crisis since WWII.
In the past, I’ve participated in efforts to help – I’ve donated money, baby carriers, and other much needed supplies. But what if I told you that there was a way that you could help right from your computer? An incredibly easy way to spread hope and love and peace to a child who may not have any of those things right now?
It’s as easy as sending a letter.
To date, CARE.org has reached more than 1 million Syrians with humanitarian relief, from food baskets and grocery debit cards to emergency shelter and hygiene kits. But more was needed. Hope was needed. So with the help of WWII refugees who received CARE packages when they were children themselves, CARE started a letter campaign. Special deliveries of support, from those who had been there themselves. The WWII refugees, now much older and wiser and living in the United States, are some of the only ones who can understand the pain that the Syrian children refugees are going through. By sharing their stories, photographs, and personal mementos with Syrian refugee children, a connection grows despite decades and distance. Hope builds.
But the letter writing doesn’t stop there. CARE is giving everyone a chance to reach out to Syrian refugee children. By clicking here, you can send a personal message to a Syrian child refugee. It only takes a minute or two to send the message. Want to do a little more? Make a donation or send a care package.
Please join me in writing a letter. Please join me in spreading hope to those who may feel hopeless right now. This is a small gesture that can have a big impact.
