Syrian refugee children: The lost generation

The violent conflict in Syria has driven millions of refugees away from their home. These refugees are in need of help, but humanitarian agencies have received less than half of the funding they need to provide basic refugee assistance. Foundation Beyond Belief’s Humanist Crisis Response program is raising funds for International Rescue Committee to support their Syrian refugee relief efforts. To contribute, click here. As of Tuesday morning, our humanist community has raised $9,588 for this crisis.

Children make up half of Syrian refugees. These children have survived war and upheaval, and in many cases the loss of family members. The IRC and other aid organizations try to provide stability and structure for these children, but with perhaps a million refugee children and insufficient funding, this is a herculean task. Syrian refugee families in Jordan search for normalcy, but Jordan’s infrastructure struggles to meet their needs. The New York Times reports on Jordan’s overwhelmed schools — with an influx of hundreds of thousands of refugee children, Jordan is unable to accommodate all of the new prospective students. The IRC is working in Jordan to provide cash assistance and social services to help refugee families.

To learn more about the Syrian refugee crisis, click here or visit the IRC’s Syrian Crisis Storify. To donate, click here.