PCRF dedicates Ramadan campaign to Syrian refugees

When Amera and Elian Fayad escaped from Syria in 2013 with their three young children, they decided to go to Gaza. They sought to escape the war and insecurity that plagued them in Dwelah.

Instead, life remained cruel. Soon after their escape, Elian passed away due to cancer; only a few months after that, bombs rained down on Gaza. The bombs which haunted them and from which they traveled a long distance to avoid had returned.

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) launched its annual campaign on June 5 for the month of Ramadan, with a special focus on Syrian refugees currently in Lebanon, Jordan, and Gaza. There are several families like the Fayads, who have suffered so much and witnessed unthinkable horrors, and PCRF has identified them with the intention of giving them a better life.

PCRF Ramadan 2016 Campaign: Relief for Syrian Refugees’ goal is to raise  $100,000 from private donations in 30 days. The Syrian refugee population that has fled to Gaza has received  minimal support or aid, despite many being two-time refugees. Several of the families PCRF has located fled from Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria.

PCRF has located 15 Syrian families with children who are in desperate need of assistance in Gaza. Their stories carry a common thread of tragedy, loss, and heartbreak. PCRF has a team of humanitarian workers, who are assisting them and providing the care and support that they need. Additionally, the PCRF team of staff and volunteers in Jordan and Lebanon are currently helping local refugees, who are unable to access or afford the basic necessities of life.

“Our goal is to help every child in the Middle East receive the medical care and assistance that they need, regardless of their nationality or religion. We recognize the special needs of Syrian children, who have been made refugees or worse, lost life and limb, by the millions. This is our effort to help heal them during their time of need,” said CEO and President Steve Sosebee.

PCRF plans to provide family sponsorship to those in Gaza and medical aid to the refugees located in Jordan and Lebanon. There are young Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon who are in need of surgery and medical care. As hospitals in Lebanon and Jordan will not treat children for free, PCRF will be partially relying on funds raised during the Ramadan 2016 campaign to cover medical expenses. As many of these refugees fled their homes hurriedly and with only bare necessities, the majority of refugee children do not have passports and cannot travel abroad for treatment. PCRF is doing all it can for the children currently in this situation. For example, a shipment of 400 pediatric wheelchairs from the U.S. will be arriving in Jordan to be distributed to children who are in need of a wheelchair. This important campaign will enable PCRF to continue and build on existing humanitarian aid projects. PCRF’s past humanitarian projects in Lebanon include, sponsoring and distributing winter jackets, heaters, school bags, food and providing milk to young children in nurseries whose families cannot afford it.

To support the campaign, you can make a donation during Ramadan at www.pcrf.net/ramadan2016. The PCRF has launched special Ramadan campaigns the past few years in honor of the elements of kindness, charity, and community that define the holy month.

The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is a registered non-political, non-profit, 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization that was established in 1991 by concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East. It has since expanded to help suffering children from the region, based only on their medical needs. We do not discriminate based on religion, gender, nationality or sect. For almost 25 years, PCRF has been helping children in the Middle East by leading local medical missions, arranging for children to receive medical care through treatment abroad, and sponsoring humanitarian programs. Currently, PCRF has 39 active chapters worldwide and thousands of volunteers globally.