Syrian refugees once had lives that were just the same as ours

The international community is already facing a refugee crisis largely driven by the war in Syria.  Hundreds of thousands of refugees are currently fleeing wars in the Middle East for the relative safety of Europe.

But that crisis could get even worse, if Turkish officials are to be believed, due to Russian airstrikes. According to Turkish estimates, 3 million more Syrians could flee from Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Bob Kitchen, the International Rescue Committee’s director of emergency preparedness and response writes: “As an aid worker leading the International Rescue Committee’s humanitarian relief team in Greece, I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Syrians as they flee the war into Europe.

“I’ve worked with refugees around the globe in almost every war zone in the last 15 years; while the desperation for the safety and well-being of their families is the same the world around, one thing has struck me during all of the interviews I’ve done:

“I recognize the lives the Syrian refugees used to live, and want to live again.” [IRC blog]

This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation, Philanthropy by Grant Montgomery.