Syria’s civil war rages into its third year with no end in sight. No wonder that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, calls it ‘the biggest humanitarian tragedy since the Rwandan genocide’.
More than nine million people are displaced by the Syrian conflict in total
It is easy to feel disconnected by the desperate situation in Syria. Without realising it, the plight of the Syrian people can slip out of our minds as it repeatedly slips off the news agenda.
But our colleagues meeting refugees each day cannot switch off.
At the centre we find people who will listen to our stories and struggles. Aisha*
The women’s centre set up by our ministry team in a neighbouring Middle Eastern country reaches out to around twenty-five women and thirty children every week. Here at least, refugees like Aisha have found a safe environment away from the conflict. They can begin the long process of dealing with trauma and rebuilding their lives.
There are an estimated three million refugees, and a further six-and-a-half million displaced within the country, the scale of need is staggering.
The Psalmist reminds us that God is with us. He is our comfort, strength and guide. He is sovereign ‘though the earth give way’. We long to make this message of a firm hope in Christ accessible to Syrians who are living without hope.
The ministry team partners with local workers and has trained workers living in the Middle East. Since then eighteen discovery bible study groups have formed and thirteen are ongoing. Encouragingly, one family has already expressed an interest in getting baptised.
The project continues to grow and this year new members joined the team to help run the women and children’s centre. But there is so much more that can be done. With extra funding, they can expand the following crucial areas:
– Aid Distribution
– Women’s and Children’s Centre
– Trauma Counselling
– Sports/Children’s Ministry
– Church-planting Training
Please give what you can to help AWM continue offering refuge and eternal hope to Syrian refugees.
GIVE ONLINE here and specify SYRIA APPEAL if you wish to support the project specifically. Unallocated gifts will be donated to Where Most Needed/Ministry Development Fund.
*Names have been changed and library images used for security.
SYRIA APPEAL – 2014 update
