Urgent appeal for Syria

The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) has issued an urgent appeal for “sorely needed” relief work in Jordan’s Zaatari camp, home to an estimated half-million Syrian refugees who have fled violence in their country.

In related news, the chair of a United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria has urged UN member-states to put an end to the bloody conflict in Syria, which has raged for more than two years.

“We cannot continue to recite a litany of violations and abuses to little effect either on the warring parties inside Syria or those walking along the corridors of power. It is not enough to be appalled,” said Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro in a briefing to the UN General Assembly on July 29. “There is an obligation to do what you must to bring this war to a close. This will require the international community not only to recognize, but also to demand, a diplomatic solution.”

Zaatari has become the second largest refugee camp in the world, and over 60 per cent of the population are children, most of whom live in households headed by women, said PWRDF, the Anglican Church of Canada’s relief and development agency, in a statement. “Gender-based violence is a real and significant risk facing women and girls in refugee camps. This can include domestic violence, early [forced] marriage, or transactional and survival sex.” Factors contributing to violence include the harsh conditions in the camps, separation of families, the presence of prostitution rings and other organized camps, and lack of livelihood, said PWRDF.

Last June, deepening refugee crisis prompted the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) to launch a $5 billion appeal for Syria and neighbouring countries, the largest in its history.

PWRDF has responded to two appeals for Syria: in February it contributed $20,000 to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank for a project that provides food to about 5,000 Syrian families in the Qalamoun area; in August last year it provided $30,000 to Action By Churches Together (ACT) Alliance, to help fund a project for 7,000 Syrian families.

These projects also include giving refugees access to health workers and psychosocial counsellors, education support and cash for work initiatives.

Support for the appeal can be made:

 

Online
You can designate your online donation for “Syria Response.”

By Phone
For credit card donations, contact:
Jennifer Brown
416-924-9192 ext. 355; 1-866-308-7973
Please do not send your credit card number by email or fax.

By Mail
Please make cheques payable to “PWRDF,” mark them for “Syria Response” and send them to:
Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund
Anglican Church of Canada
80 Hayden St.
Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2

PWRDF Donations Contact:
Jennifer Brown
416-924-9192 ext. 355; 1-866-308-7973

PWRDF Partnership Program Manager:
Elsa Tesfay
416-924-9199 ext. 206; 1-866-308-7973