Horrificnew lowsprompt local and cyber communities to finally turn words into actions
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, July 1, 2013: With the Syrian catastrophe plunging into an uncontrolled nose-dive, the UAE public converged on streets and social networks to mobilize awareness, funds and hope forrefugees. An emotional streetparade in Sharjah on World Refugee Day resonated across the Twitterverse, wherein 48 hoursthe ‘Big Heart for Syrian Refugee Children’ campaign attracted 8,000 prospective humanitarians.
The crisis now holds the unwanted world record as the biggest humanitarian appeal in human history, with over 3.6 million Syrians needing $5 billion for life-saving and life-changing interventions.
Spearheading the appeal is “The Big Heart”, Her Highness SheikhaJawaherBint Mohammed Al-Qasimi,UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children. Her campaign usesa kaleidoscopic fusion of hard-hitting viral videos, social media and on-the-ground engagement to trigger global participation.
In a tragic domino effect of falling communities, the Syrian bloodbath evicted40,000 Iraqi refugees who were rebuilding the pieces of their shattered lives;fleeing certain death in Syria back to probable death in Iraq.
Daily 7,000 new refugees, includingpregnant women in labor, prematurely-born babies, grandparents, paralyzed casualties andterminally-ill patients literally on their deathbeds, dodge rockets and skyrocketing temperatures;playing deadly guessing-games to navigatehidden landmines andescape their burning motherland.
Noura Al Noman, Director of the Executive Office of HH SheikhaJawaher, observed: “Without action, words of support remain exactly that: only words. Refugees need action, and they need it fast.Whenever we think they’ve hit rock bottom, they’re plunged to devastating new lows. We’re deeply touched by the unprecedented outpouring of public solidarityfor the ‘Big Heart for Syrian Refugee Children’ campaign. But 7,000 refugees arrive daily with only the clothes on their backs and the hope in their hearts. Hope is the only reason many cling to life for another day;let’s prove the humanitarian spirit is bulletproof.”
Just as drowning victims sometimes drag their rescuers to the seafloor, the titanic collapse of Syria’s economy risks dragging down its neighbors Lebanon and Jordan, who are pleading for $830 million to keep their refugee facilities afloat.
But according to Imran Riza, UNHCR Regional Representative to the GCC Countries, the most shocking effects are invisible to the naked eye: “Syrian children carryhorrific psychological traumas, which are socio-cultural time-bombsfor future generations. Over 10 million Syrians could be refugees or internally displaced by year-end.With half their populationdependenton aid, ‘crisis’ becomes a colossal understatement.”
Donorscan make life-saving contributionsto the ‘Big Heart for Syrian Refugee Children’ campaign. Funds are collected through ‘Salam YaSeghar’, endorsed by HH SheikhaJawaher.SMS “Donate” (Etisalat network): 2000(AED10), 2002(AED50), 2003(AED100)
Bank Details:
Account Number: 0034430430012 / IBAN: AE580410000034430430012
Contacts:
The Executive Office of HH SheikhaJawaherBint Mohammed Al-Qasimi
Amel Anbar Bashir Ali, 5941103 6 971 + / 5941111 6 971 + /5941115 6 971
amel.b@hheo.ae