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Imagine you have a little sister, 5 or 6 years old. Think of her playing with her favorite doll, laughing at the newest kids show on TV. To you she is the most innocent person in the world. She comes up to you and says excitedly that she already knows how to count to a hundred.
Now picture her telling you what she wants to be when she grows up: she would like to be an astronaut, but also a teacher because she thinks her teacher is very nice and she wants to be like her. She loves going to school and spending hours with her best friend playing ball.
She spends her days playing absent-mindedly, occasionally she’ll come up and ask what is happening and what will happen to you. She says sometimes she stays awake in bed at night worrying. But she quickly moves on and asks you to play with her before dinner.
You are increasingly concerned with the situation in the country, you just want to stay in your home and for everything to return to normal. Your sister cries occasionally because so many classmates are leaving and are no longer in class. A few days later the school closes.
You worry daily about what is going to happen. The only thing you can do is try to distract yourself from reality and carry on. A young girl like your sister does not deserve to suffer the consequences of a war that will steal a childhood she still has yet to live.
But she does not get to decide what happens, nor you, nor any of the people reading this. Just like those in Syria didn& #39;t get to decide. Boys, girls, adults, and the elderly whose dream and right to live a dignified life was taken from them.
People who are treated as pawns on a political game board. Who are moved around by the economic interests of groups and governments. People who have their rights played with and violated. Families that could die if they remain in their homes.
But when they leave in search of a safe place to live, they will be criminalized, berated by thousands of xenophobic comments, attacked, beaten on the borders, and ignored by those who spend their days preaching in support of human rights.
This is why we were created. We are an organization that wants to improve the lives of those who had their homes and their comforts stolen away. Those who are now dedicated to survival and who deserve to be treated for what they are: people.
We spent 5 months working in Lebanon with other projects and we have seen reality up-close. Last year, 30% of the population lived in poverty. Now with the pandemic and instability, it has risen to 50%. We have seen the conditions in which families live, surrounded by debris and
living in homes made of wood and plastic, that fill with flood water when the rains come. Houses in which children spend entire childhoods. Children who run barefoot, getting cuts, and suffering from illnesses that could be easily prevented.
We want to carry out four different projects: The first in which we will teach families basic first aid, promote safety in a challenging environment, provide feminine hygiene materials, new mother/baby kits and work to connect families with needed health care resources.
The second project will focus on people with chronic illnesses, to ensure they are not left behind. Diabetics, people with hypertension, and other conditions need more consistent care. We will work with them to insure they can access the resources they need to stay healthy.
The third project focuses on the environment in which families live and where children grow. We will help communities clean drain pipes, trash laden roads, and latrines that can get clogged. A cleaner environment means safer kids and less infections lurking for all.
The final project will focus on Syrian children that do not have regular access to school. They miss out on basic health topics like learning to wash their hands properly, learning about germs, and how to stay healthy. Through fun games and activities, we can help close this gap.
We want to help protect health through education. Having the resources and knowledge to take care of your dental health, or prevent illnesses, can have a big impact for families. Families that deserve support with basic daily needs, help for which has been lacking for years.
A van, school supplies, bandages, disinfectants, antibiotic creams, soap, diapers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products are some of the things that we need to start the project.
Without proper funds, providing these essential items to families becomes an almost impossible task. Families who deserve greater attention and support after escaping from conflict and war. Families that shouldn& #39;t be going through this alone.
This little girl that could be your sister, now 8 years later, doesn’t know anything other than life in a refugee camp. She no longer thinks to the future, but only in day to day survival. With the arrival of the health crisis, they will be the ones to bear the virus in silence,
as they continue to suffer through crisis after crisis. We want to improve the lives of as many families as possible, to make a difference for every child we can, but we need support to do it. https://thehealthimpact.org/en/donate/ ">https://thehealthimpact.org/en/donate...
Thank you very much to the people who have contributed. You make a huge difference in the lives of many. Something needs to be done. And we can be the ones to do it.
