SYRIA FOOD RELIEF

 

Many thanks to all who have made donations for food relief in Syria.  People are grateful!

Here are some photos from Qasioun, a poor community just outside Damascus, with volunteers handing out basic food parcels.  

 

 

I want to thank those who have responded to the appeal I sent out earlier to raise funds for Syrian food relief. Responses are still coming in, but I would like to share some information regarding this effort.

The fundraising in the US is organized by local Syrians and Syrian-Americans and distributed through a volunteer program in Syria called “Together Strong” of  a group called The Initiative for Good. They have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Alkhair.initiative.sy/ (The “English” on the page is machine translated from Arabic, so a bit awkward.)

The first food baskets have already been distributed with our funds and more will be enabled in coming weeks with the money we have raised.  My Syrian friends assure me that 100% of the donations go to feed the hungry.

Here is a “receipt” from Aleppo for the first payment of 800,000 Syrian pounds that has already been sent. The amount seems huge, but that is because the war has led to the drastic devaluation of Syrian currency from 50 Syrian pounds to the dollar when I first visited the country in 2009 to between 2000 and 3000 to the dollar today. A reminder that $10 can feed a Syrian family with basic supplies for two weeks. Donations are *not* “tax deductible” in the US!

Thanks to all who have contributed.  I will share updates and information as I receive them. Anyone wishing to make a donation should send it to me and I will see that the funds are transferred through the local Syrian community to this food program.

 

Dear Friends,

There are so many worthy causes and charities rightly demanding our attention these days, so I will understand if responding to this appeal is beyond your ability right now. But I want to ask that you contribute whatever you can to relieve some of the suffering in Syria caused by the policies of our own government.

Millions of Syrians are facing extreme privation in their war-torn country, exacerbated by brutal US sanctions that claim to target the Syrian government but which have their most devastating effect on ordinary people.

If you need any convincing, please watch this 20-minute video (and have some kleenex handy):

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywN_8IWat8g 

 

 

Shortages of food and fuel – together with the collapsing Syrian pound – are the direct result of years of war promoted and financed by the US and its allies.  Today the US is occupying the oil-producing lands in eastern Syria, while they are also blocking wheat from this region – Syria’s breadbasket – to deny food to millions of Syrians. Of course, as Americans, it is our duty to do whatever we can to change the inhumane US policy of enforcing hunger in Syria (and Venezuela, Iran, Yemen).

But we can also help directly. Many Syrians suffering as refugees or in the remaining territory controlled by “rebel” extremists, are able to receive some relief supplies from international agencies.  But the majority of Syrians, in government controlled areas, are barred from receiving any significant support because of US sanctions.  Many of them are going hungry or dying from lack of medicines.

Local Syrians and Syrian-Americans are working to arrange for humanitarian food deliveries to needy Syrian families.  These are people I trust absolutely to delivery 100% of funds raised for Syrian relief. This charitable activity is not forbidden by US sanctions.  If you are able to contribute anything, please contact me and I will deliver any donations to those who can arrange to get food to hungry Syrian families. 

$10 will deliver a basket of basic food supplies that can feed a Syrian family of four for 15 days:

2 bottles of oil, 2 kilo sugar,4 kilo bulgur, 2 kilo tomato paste, 1/2 kilo zaatar, 1/2 kilo tea, 1 bag spaghetti, 1 box chicken stock cubes, 1 can of mortadella 

 PLEASE CONTACT ME TO HELP IF YOU CAN!

And please share this message with sympathetic contacts.

Jeff