March 12, 2020
This week marks the 9th anniversary of the beginning of the war in Syria – a violent and bloody conflict which has devastated the country and forced more than half of its population from their homes. An estimated 6.6. million Syrians are internally displaced, and a further 5.6 million refugees have fled Syria to neighbouring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Since the advent of the crisis, All We Can has been committed to standing alongside refugees forced to flee their home. All We Can traces its roots back more than 80 years, when an outpouring of generosity helped bring young refugees fleeing an occupied Austria to the UK, seeking freedom from Nazi oppression. We are proud to continue this legacy of supporting refugee communities to this day.
All We Can are currently helping support refugees living in Za’atari camp – the world’s largest camp for Syrian refugees. Through activities such as zumba and capoeira classes, All We Can are helping bring comfort, healing and psychosocial support to children who have been forced to face the trauma of war.
As well as helping children deal with the psychological impacts of fleeing their homes, All We Can continues to help support adults as they seek to gain meaningful skills through which to support their families – as restrictions on the availability of work has made this increasingly difficult.
19-year-old Tahir (pictured above) is from Daraa in Syria – one of the first cities to be affected by fighting, back in 2011. He has a hearing disability and difficulty when speaking – meaning that opportunities for employment have been difficult for him to access. However, with the support of sewing classes supported by All We Can in Za’atari, Tahir has developed a real passion for sewing. He has learnt the basics, including how to use a sewing machine and how to make seams – and is now progressing to an advanced sewing class, where he hopes to develop the skills he needs to secure a job. His mother has seen a real transformation in him, saying ‘he helps a lot in the house now…. he made sheets and he fixes clothes.’
‘I have hope now’ said Tahir. ‘Before, I felt different due to my disability. Now, I have the confidence and I believe, for the first time, that I can be independent and create my own future.’
All We Can is committed to continuing to stand alongside those whose lives have been turned upside down by the Syrian refugee crisis, supporting them as they heal from trauma of war and seek new opportunities in Za’atari. We invite you to pray for those affected by the crisis, and for peace across the region. Please donate today to help All We Can’s ongoing work supporting Syrian refugees living in Jordan.
