Refugees need help, and we can help them.

PIC: Original Research

In my first blog post, I talked about the Syrian refugee crisis. I explained how there are over 11 million Syrians being forced out of their homes, and almost 4 million being forced out of their country completely. How people are forcibly being removed from their homes without all but the most basic necessities, because of a war that they don’t take part in. There are refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt, in need of water, clean water, blankets, and hygiene items. People are being exiled from their homes for upwards of 17 years, and there are over 2 million child refugees, most of which receive no educational support at all.

UNHCR Logo.

After some additional research, I also learned about how the refugee crisis has impacted the surrounding countries, such as Iraq. The Huffington Post says that there have been hundreds of thousands of Iraqis fleeing their country, because of the increased population in addition to the fighting occurring in the country. I also learned about what things are being done about the issue, such as the International Rescue Committee, or IRC. The IRC is supporting refugees in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, and Jordan. They have reached hundreds of thousands of people with medical supplies and winter emergency kits, in attempt to help the millions of refugees around the region survive the risks that surround them. They provide sanitation, clean water, education, and emergency kits to refugees living in camps. They support women and girls who have survived sexual violence, and help to reunite children that have crossed the border on their own with their parents and families. They are one of the multiple organizations trying to help the refugees in need to survive and make it through the hardships that they have and are experiencing. I also did an interview with Melissa Fleming, Head, Communications and Public Information Service Spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency, or UNHCR.  The following is the transcript for the interview:

This interview aided me in multiple ways. It helped me understand how the UNHCR is trying to help the refugees, through registering them, helping identify their individual situation and needs, so they can help them with what they need the most help with. I also learned how the rate of the refugees is at the moment. The number of refugees is still increasing, with no signs of slowing down, however less countries are willing to let Syrians into their borders, so there is an increased number of Syrian refugees displaced inside of Syria. This also helped reinforced what I already thought to be true: The public knows far to little on this issue. Few people truly know what is happening within the crisis, and many people don’t care, or fail to realize how big the crisis truly is. I believe for this issue to make the most substantial progress possible, more people need to be aware of it. This is an important issue that needs far more attention than it’s getting.