Syrian Refugees: Don’t Forget About Us

Seattle, WA (March 12, 2018) — March 15 marks seven years since the start of the civil war in Syria, which has unleashed one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history.

One Day’s Wages, a humanitarian organization founded by Pastor Eugene Cho, is coming alongside World Vision to raise $200,000 for World Vision’s refugee response in the Middle East.

While Syria has retreated from the headlines, the refugee crisis and the need for a robust humanitarian response has only increased. While in Iraq and Lebanon, refugees and displaced people had a message for Cho and his fellow visitors that was a strong reminder this crisis was far from over.

“To hear someone suggest it’s now completely done and that this requires no more compassion or aid or support is ludicrous,” said Cho. “The very common phrase we heard was, ‘Please, don’t forget us.’ We have to continue conveying that plea from our sisters and brothers.”

One Day’s Wages will match donations, up to $100,000, to its refugee campaign through the end of March. World Vision will receive a grant of the donated and matching funds that will be allocated toward its refugee response in the Middle East.

In an interview for Lebanon for World Vision’s Podcast, Cho shared about the plight of refugees and displaced people he met and about indigenous aid workers – several of whom also are displaced – who are responding in environment of unimaginable trauma.

One of the children he met in Lebanon was Ali, a 12-year-old boy who is unable to go to school because he is required to work to support his family. He wakes up at 4 a.m. each day and makes a 90-minute trip, where he works picking onions for 12 hours. Ali works seven days a week and earns $8 a day. “If I don’t work I get hit. All children my age work,” he said.

Ali went to school in Syria, and his favorite subject was Arabic. “If I had the opportunity to go to school I would go in a heartbeat.”

“I had to ask him these questions multiple times, because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” said Cho.

Nearly 12 million Syrians have been displaced since 2011, and has stolen the childhood from millions of children.

World Vision has provided aid to more than 2.3 million refugees since the start of the Syrian civil war. In Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, World Vision has aided refugees with food, water and sanitation, healthcare, psychosocial support, education, job training, winter supplies and other aid.

Even after experiencing years of trauma, Ali holds out hope for a better future. “I wish that we could always be safe and sound. And that all people would be safe and sound.”

To learn more and to the support the One Day’s Wages/World Vision campaign, visit onedayswages.org/worldvision.

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About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org or follow on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.