“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” [ Isaiah 58:6-7 ]
As most of you know, my husband, Justin, and I raised $5,000 USD this past summer to aid Syrian refugees living in Jordan. In June, we traveled to Jordan, where we partnered with local NGOs and community leaders to purchase basic needs supplies for families who have been displaced by Syria’s on-going war.
We cannot thank you enough for helping to make that fundraiser possible. You can see a glimpse of how your generosity was able to help Syrian refugee families living in Irbid and Mafraq, Jordan in the video below:
Give Us Rest from Ellen Billard on Vimeo. [ Music: “Give us Rest,” David Crowder Band, available here on iTunes ]
The almost 3-year war has created what the UN is calling the greatest humanitarian crisis since the Rwandan genocide in 1994. More than 2 million Syrians have been forced to leave their homes and flee the country, while another 4 million+ remain displaced within Syria. Neighboring countries have hosted these refugees by the hundreds of thousands, but they are not equipped to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. In Jordan alone, there are over 500,000 registered refugees. Lebanon — a country of only 4 million — has nearly 1 million Syrian refugees living within its borders. The needs are staggering.
It is difficult to find the words to express how deeply committed we are to responding to the growing needs facing the people of Syria, and as I wrote recently, our efforts to help have only just begun.
Will you join us in this commitment?
We are currently working to raise an additional $10,000 USD to help refugees living in Jordan by January 15, 2014. At the end of January, we will travel once again to Amman where we will use the money raised to purchase supplies and then spend several days visiting with refugee families in their host communities. As always, this money does not go toward our travel expenses — 100% of it goes directly to the refugees.
Specifically, the money will be allocated to two different areas of need in northern Jordan:
1.) Basic Needs.
We will be partnering again with Helping Refugees in Jordan to purchase basic needs supplies for Syrian refugee families. Supplies include warm winter clothes, shoes, diapers, hygiene products, medications, medical procedures, and funding toward safe housing. We then help transport these items to the local distribution centers. You can also view a spreadsheet of how the previous funds were spent.
2.) Long-term Community Infrastructure Development.
While some refugees will return to Syria once the war is over, for hundreds of thousands, this will simply not be possible. They will become long-term residents of their current host communities. There are some great organizations who are looking beyond just meeting the pressing immediate needs to more long-term community development projects to support this changing community dynamic. We will partner with a local faith leader with whom we connected on our previous trip to Jordan to help fund the building of a community center and school to serve the physical and spiritual needs of refugee families in Mafraq, Jordan.
There are three ways you can partner with us in this effort:
1.) Donate.
Please thoughtfully and prayerfully consider donating to our fundraiser. Details on how to do so here (or send me a private message).
2.) Spread the word.
This is the part where I ask you to ask other people to give us money. Share this blog post. Post about the fundraiser to your Facebook page. Tell your friends and family. Talk to your students about how they can make a difference. Share it with your church family.
3.) Follow along.
I will be posting updates to our Facebook page throughout our trip. It is our commitment not only to give money to these families, but also to share their stories – to show you the faces behind the statistics. We would love to introduce you to the people we meet along the way.
Thank you in advance for your generous support. We look forward to partnering with you to make a difference in the lives of Syrian refugees.
