Trócaire has issued an appeal to people in Cork to support the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon who have been forced to flee their homes due to the 11-year-long civil war.
Launching their Christmas appeal, Trócaire Deputy CEO, Finola Finnan, said:
“It is vital that this Christmas we don’t forget the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have been forced to flee their homes during this terrible war. Trócaire is proud to work with partners supporting traumatised refugees in Lebanon and helping them live with dignity.”
“Lebanon remains at the forefront of one of the worst humanitarian crises hosting 1.5 million of the 6.6 million Syrians who have fled the conflict since 2011. The Syrian refugee population in Lebanon remains one of the largest concentrations of refugees per capita in the world. With the generosity of our Irish supporters this Christmas Trócaire will continue to provide basic needs in the camps in the New Year.”
Ms. Finnan said Irish donations are helping over 8,000 Syrian refugees who are being provided with community resilience training, emergency support as well as psychological support services and digital literacy for youth in the camps.
Syrian born Journalist, Razan Ibraheem, who came to Ireland from Syria as a refugee, and well-known GAA figure and RTE sports pundit, Dr. Noelle Healy, also attended the appeal launch.
Ms Ibraheem said: "It has been more than 11 years since the start of the brutal war in Syria. The people are still suffering. Syrian refugees in Lebanon still live in tents and are deprived of basic necessities. Syrian refugee children are cold, hungry and missing schools. All they want for Christmas is an act of kindness, a scarf, a jumper or hot soup. Our response to the refugee crises or any crisis, define who we are and what we stand for."
