Help Syrian Refugees In 2017

Help Syrian refugees remain warm and sustained throughout 2017

There are more than 62,000 refugees who are continuously stranded in Greece, and as we adjourn the holiday season, and approach the beginning of a new year, it is imperative that we not forget the plight of these afflicted people -- many dwelling in fields and abandoned factories, and at our own camp of Ritsona, a forest. A cold and wet winter has set in, and conditions are dire for the many awaiting asylum in a country ill-equipped to manage the influx of refuge-seeking men, women, and children.

The destruction of Aleppo and the resulting evacuation has, in recent weeks, brought the Syrian crisis back to the forefront of the public eye. But here in Greece, the volume of the crisis has never diminished. These hardships, in the wake of hellacious warfare, are nothing less than realities.

Thousands who have withstood the horrors of war in Syria thus far, have now been forced to flee. If they are fortunate enough to make it across the Mediterranean, they will face continued tumultuousness in refugee camps that struggle to meet minimum humanitarian standards.

Our organisation, Echo100Plus, a small, independent, NGO with few volunteers, provides basic needs such as food, water, clothing and vital hygiene products to more than 700 people. December has proven to present us with significant challenges. We have experienced a rapid and unsolicited 50% increase in population size and simultaneously struggled with food and water shortages. To make matters worse, winter is already here with temperatures dropping below 0°c, snow and slush covering the camp in a bitter layer, we are facing notable obstacles in the preparation necessary to come out unscathed. We are raising this money in an effort to subsidise shortages and to help refugees keep warm, and conditions, at the very least, humane.

Like the people currently fleeing from Aleppo; the men, women and children in our rural refugee camp of Ritsona survived aerial bombing, ISIS violence, deprivation, physical assault and more unthinkable trauma beyond the average person’s realm of comprehension. These 160 families once hoped that their time here in Greece would be just a pitstop on their path to Western Europe. Conversely, as they enter their tenth month here, they face the fact that their time in this grim and bitterly cold camp with varying access to sufficient food and water has no definite end.

We would implore you, in the season of giving, to find it within yourself to extend a helpline to these people in extreme need of compassion.

Every cent we receive will be used to ensure our 160 refugee families remain healthy and safe through the difficult months ahead. Updates will be given here!

-- €17 ensures that a family has blankets to keep warm.
-- €25 ensures that a family has warm winter hats.
-- €50 ensures one full day’s supply of milk for all the children in camp.
-- €100 ensures one full day’s supply of bread for the entire camp.
-- €350 ensures a day’s supply of fruit juice for everyone.
-- €500 provides winter scarves for 15 families.
-- €850 provides quality winter jackets for 10 families.

Thank you for your support!