Coventry charity helping the children of war-torn Syria

GLOBAL Care, a Coventry based international charity have launched their biggest ever Christmas appeal.

For eight years the world has watched the devastation of Syria with horror - but Global Care plan to act with hope.

It is aiming to raise £45,000 to support vulnerable children in war torn Syria.

The charity have started a new School Club initiative delivering education and therapeutic support to children living in an area of Damascus which was on the frontline for many years. The area, Al Mleha, is home to displaced families from across northern Syria, and is a lawless and dangerous place.

Most families here live below the breadline, often in extended family groups, with large numbers of children dependent on just a few adults. Schools are underresourced and overcrowded, with over one third of Syria’s six million children yet to set foot in the classroom.

The School Clubs run by Global Care’s Syrian partners, House of Hope, are providing 90 children aged 5-8 with basic literacy and numeracy, in a place of safety where they can also access therapeutic support to improve wellbeing.

All the children taking part were identified by the Red Crescent as being particularly vulnerable, either having lost at least one parent in the fighting, or living in circumstances of severe destitution. After eight years of conflict, most of these children have never known anything but war and have experienced significant trauma.

Global Care’s CEO John White said: “Global Care has been supporting Syrian refugee children living in Lebanon for the last six years, and we are excited to be able to extend our support to children living inside Syria for the first time.

“Like so many others we have watched the conflict with horror for eight years, and been powerless to act. We are so excited now to have an opportunity to step up and make a difference in the lives and futures of these extraordinarily vulnerable and troubled children. We hope others will catch the vision and support us.”

2018 was the deadliest single year for children since the start of the war - 1,106 were killed but the UN estimates there are more that have not been recorded.

Charities on the ground, like those funded by Global Care in Coventry, are working on improving children’s access to education and psychological support.

Global Care are a Christian charity that have worked for over 35 years to support vulnerable people in parts of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central America.

They work in partnership with grassroots Christian groups committed to supporting the most vulnerable, through child sponsorship, and community development programmes.

To support Global Care’s Christmas Appeal you can donate online at www.globalcare.org/Christmas 2019 or phone 030 030 21 030.