The size and scale of the migrant crisis in Europe has reached enormous proportions. As compassionate human beings, it is impossible to ignore the tragic reports of lorries filled with decomposing bodies and heartbreaking scenes of drowned children washed up on European shores.
Yet the desperation which drives these families to embark on these perilous journeys still seems to be disregarded by many in the UK.
Winter clothes appeal
‘The crisis in the Middle East is unimaginable’, said Samara Levy, a Brighton mum who started the winter clothes appeal for the Middle East last year. ‘These people have fled in search of safety for their families and many of them meet a tragic end in doing so.’
Last Autumn, Samara started collecting winter clothing to send to Iraq for the people displaced by IS. She has been supported by many others across the UK who also felt called to act, and in less than a year she has sent 14 lorries and a container, filled with humanitarian aid, to Iraq and Jordan.
There are now more than 3.1 million internally displaced people (IDPs) plus 250,000 Syrian refugees in Iraq. Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world, with one in three of their population being a refugee, followed closely by Jordan which has the second highest number of refugees per capita in the world. The list goes on.
‘As a mother who sees a huge surplus of clothing and shoes in the UK, I have to do something when I know that babies, children and vulnerable adults will die of hypothermia in the Middle East this winter. I have trusted partners on the ground that distribute the aid I send to the people who need it’, said Samara.
Care packs
In addition to winter clothes and shoes, Samara is also sending ‘care packs’ filled with essentials for the estimated 116,000 displaced pregnant women who are in desperate need. ‘Having a new baby comes with many challenges at the best of times, but to do it with nothing, not even a home, is something I can’t begin to imagine.’
Samara is now asking people to organise collections of winter clothes and shoes in their communities, churches and schools in addition to helping raise the £6,500 needed to send each lorry to the Middle East. She would also love to hear from anyone with warehouse space that can be donated for part of this appeal or who has links with distribution companies that can help with transport in the UK (www.samarasaidappeal.org) you can also 'Like' ‘Samara’s Aid Appeal’ on Facebook.
Krish Kandiah’s challenge
In addition to this appeal, a downloadable clip** is available to play in church services to encourage a response from Christians that will have a huge and positive impact. Presented by Krish Kandiah, the four-minute clip reminds the listener that the Bible is full of refugees due to conflict, persecution or natural disaster.
Included in the list are characters from the Old and New Testaments, with a timely reminder that Jesus too was forced to leave his homeland as a small child. Additionally, all of those who call themselves Christians are refugees who, according to Ephesians, were strangers to God’s promises, wandering exiles, excluded from citizenship. Through Jesus’s death, these people weren’t just given asylum, but permanent citizenship. This prompting, a call to prayer and to consider the possibility of being a foster parent all form part of the thought-provoking clip, with further information about Open Doors who are also organising relief, is available here:
Refugee crisis : an urgent call to action from Home for Good on Vimeo.
