Tag: Syria

Kids help refugees with charity walk

A charity walk on November 15 hopes to help refugee children. Involving children from all over Cyprus, the event is receiving enthusiastic feedback and support.

Founded by a group of young Limassol mothers, the initiative ‘Bearfoot children helping children’, a sponsored walk by children with their teddy bears which will then be donated to refugee children, seems set to leave footprints of the most positive kind.

The image of a little Syrian boy who had drowned during his family’s attempt to flee war seen by the world in early September shocked many people and inspired numerous initiatives to help.

One group of young Limassol mothers also felt compelled to ‘do something’, but also wanted to involve their children to make them understand just how fortunate they are to live comfortable and sheltered lives.

The women are of various nationalities, and are connected to each other through their children.
From their very first small meeting at one mother’s house it had become evident that this was going to develop into something big – and it did.

The walk

The 1km walk will take place on November 15 with the participation of children from all over Cyprus.
They will bring along one of their own teddy bears to take part in the walk to then be donated to refugee children in Cyprus and Greece. The children are asked to find sponsors for their walk and will receive a certificate for their participation.

They will leave at 11am from the Beachside Pedestrian Pathway near PlusSea Lifestyle Bar and finish at St Raphael Resort where an after-party will be organised for the participants and the general public, with children’s activities, free entertainment, a raffle with generously-donated prizes and stalls.

“The great interest and support by so many have been truly inspiring,” says Sarah, one of the initiative’s core members. “We set a goal of raising €25,000 which we are now set to surpass.”
Sponsors coming from all walks of life, businesses small and large and individuals have all stepped forward to help; the main sponsor is the Grammar School Limassol, gold sponsors are David Steps – Kickers, The English School and ÖL Shipping Group.

Thanks to the power of social media and the varied backgrounds of the organisers’ families, individuals outside of Cyprus, including a marathon runner in Athens, a group in India and a young teenager in England, are arranging to do smaller walks in their countries to raise money.
All information concerning the event has been put out in Greek and English ,turning the walk into a sign of solidarity across the island.

The organisers hope that the very positive feedback and support of the idea of involving and educating children from an early age to become socially responsible citizens will be carried forward after the event.

The contributions

It was important for the Bearfoot initiative to choose a worthwhile children’s charity that was registered, transparent and helping refugee children. All of the money raised will be given to the international non-profit organisation Save the Children and their Child Refugee Crisis Appeal.
The organisation has been working with refugee children for almost a century.

This year alone, over 95,000 children have arrived in Europe, nearly 10% of them without any family.

“No child should be left behind – thank you to all those who are working hard on the Bearfoot – Teddy Bear Walk and are donating their money and time. You are all showing such generosity and eagerness to support child refugees,” says Save the Children spokesperson Helena Wiltshire.
Donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/bearfootchildren. To register an e-mail should be sent to bearfootchildren@gmail.com.

World’s first aid academy to target Arab relief workers

Training Arab aid workers as first responders to local disasters and conflict could shrink the cost of responding to global crises, according to the CEO of the world’s first academy for humanitarian relief.

A dearth of frontline aid workers from the region slows the delivery of relief in the first, crucial 48hrs after a disaster, and ramps up costs as agencies parachute in foreign teams, said Saba Al-Mubaslat, CEO, Humanitarian Leadership Academy (HLA).

“When the Syria crisis response began in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq, we found the number of those able to hit the ground running, speak the language and understand the cultural aspects, were minimal,”Al-Mubaslat told Philanthropy Age. “That’s concerning because it translates into costs. If each aid worker needs a translator, for example, to communicate with the affected population, then you are in trouble.”

The HLA, a collaboration between the private sector, governments and global aid agencies, aims to train 100,000 people from 50 countries in the next five years as relief workers. Based in London, it hopes to launch operations in the Middle East next year, and open 10 training centres around the world by 2020.

Last year saw a record number of severe global humanitarian emergencies, with the highest number of refugees the world has seen since the second world war. Some 50 million people were forced to flee their homes.

Though international aid agencies will always be able to offer additional resources and expertise, the HLA could help create local teams able to lead relief efforts, Al-Mubaslat said. The academy hopes to train 4,520 individuals globally in its first year. There are just 450,000 professional humanitarian workers worldwide, according to the charity’s estimates.

Another tactic could be to set up national databases to track aid workers – and their skillsets – who could be called on in times of crisis. “[A database] is not an innovation; it’s a need,” she said.

Another challenge is encouraging local graduates and school leavers to consider aid work as a serious career option. Deterrents include lower salaries than those seen in other industries, the lack of relevant courses in Arabic, and limited information about how to advance in the industry.

“Learning materials are mostly not available in Arabic, so it becomes a prerequisite to have good English – those who had good education and private schools – to professionalise their careers as aid workers, rather than those who were less fortunate,” said Al-Mubaslat. “One of the key points of the academy is to facilitate access to quality learning and experience exchange.”

Moreover, the academy wants to promote a shift in thinking towards investing in disaster preparedness and the money that could be saved from limiting economic losses. “What we want to change is the upfront, proactive investment in building people’s capacity,” said Al-Mubaslat. “Preparedness is investment you make even if you’re not sure it will be needed. [But] when it is needed, it pays back immediately. That’s the discussion we need to have with governments.”

HLA hopes to swell the ranks of understaffed emergency aid teams, who face a rising number of complex global disasters, including the more than 4 million Syrian refugees in the region. The academy has received just over 40 per cent of the £50m ($77.5m) it needs for the first five-year phase.

Investment in aid professionals continues to pay dividends even once the initial shock has passed, added Al-Mubaslat. “The need for aid workers in the recovery stage is going to be immense. The whole Middle East is being reshaped. The better prepared we are, the more we can all contribute to shaping it in a positive way.”

UAE Helping Hands: Woman fights cancer amid fears for her family in Syria

Each week, The National reports a case of a family in desperate straits and the work of Dar Al Ber Society in trying to aid them. Today, Dalal Alali needs your help, writes Shireena Al Nowais

ABU DHABI // Dalal Alali sobs on the phone while talking to her elder sister in Syria.

Her sister’s daughter and son-in-law were killed, along with their three children, in an air raid two months ago.

“The situation is not good,” says Dalal, 53. “I can’t say that things are fine. They are not safe.”

Dalal’s husband was killed in an air raid four years ago. The attack left her homeless. They had no children.

Her younger brother Adel Alali, who had settled in the UAE, sent for her immediately.

“I couldn’t leave her in Syria,” Adel says. “Her husband was killed and she had no home.”

While Adel is concerned that the crisis in Syria will be the cause of the family’s demise, there is a more imminent danger to his elder sister’s life.

Last year, Dalal was diagnosed with breast and bone cancer.

Adel, who has six children, has been paying for her treatment. “I can’t any more,” he says.

“I’ve borrowed all the money I can. She’s my sister and my responsibility but I can’t afford it with the kids going to school and my wife and her family and the money I send to my other siblings and the visa costs.”

Dalal requires monthly injections and chemotherapy sessions that cost about Dh5,000. Her X-rays and blood tests, which have to be carried out every three months, cost about Dh12,000.

“My sister is always active, that’s how we all know her. But now it breaks our hearts to see she’s not the same any more,” Adel says.

“She’s always in pain and even though she tries to hide it, we can see that she’s in pain.”

The Dubai hospital where Dalal is being treated estimates that she needs about Dh50,000 for her chemotherapy.

This does not include the cost of an operation.

“Please help me save my sister,” Adel says between tears. “I can’t lose her, too. I got her out of one danger and now there is another I can’t do anything about.”

Hisham Al Zahrani, manager of social services at Dar Al Ber Society, says that since 2011 the society has donated Dh16.5 million to Syrians in the UAE and assisted about 400 families. The society donated Dh18m to Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

“If there was ever a time our Syrian brothers and sisters need our help then this is it,” Mr Al Zahrani says.

“Most families have lost at least one or two members during this crises. The stress and agony they are going through is unfathomable.

“This family has already lost so much yet they remain hopeful and confident that the UAE, Dar Al Ber and the community will help them to get through their troubles.

“We don’t want to let them down and hope we all do our utmost to help save Dalal.”