VANCOUVER—Just before the federal government voted to expand its attack on ISIS to within Syria, an aid organization released a report on the state of that country.
“It has been four years since Syria fell into a brutal conflict that shows no sign of ending,” states the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace report dated March 15.
“What many believed would be a short-lived struggle has turned into the largest refugee crisis in the world, and one of the worst humanitarian emergencies today.”
The CCODP says that in the past four years 220,000 Syrians have died, 3.75 million Syrians have become refugees, and 12.2 million Syrians have been left needing humanitarian assistance.
The development organization reports it has raised $15 million for emergency efforts in the Middle East and used it to reach 80,000 families.
Of the total, $3,727,200 has been committed to Syria. The CCODP collaborates with partners there including Caritas Syria and the Jesuit Refugee Service.
“If there is one thing that unites Syrians today, it is fear and suffering,” said Father Nawras Sammour, the country director for the JRS, in a video on CCODP’s website.
He said Christians are particularly affected. “We don’t have our own city only for Christians. We don’t have our army … we are suffering in a particular way compared to others, but we are not the only people suffering.”
The rest of the funds have been allocated to efforts in Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, all of which have also had masses of refugees in the past four years.
The CCODP has launched a petition urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper to increase funding for humanitarian aid in Syria and to promote peace and reconciliation efforts.
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has pointed out that two other Catholic organizations in this country are raising funds to help Syrians: Aid to the Church in Need and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.
