Syrians really need a hand

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
 
Sir – Imagine houses in your street bombed and your neighbours left homeless. Imagine that every 17 seconds a fellow Australian is forced to flee in fear of their lives.
 
This is all happening to the people of Syria, most of whom just wish to go to school, work and live a normal life.
 
Children deserve to laugh, play, and learn each day without the constant threat of death or injury. Their parents, uncles and aunts deserve to have a roof over their heads.
 
For many of us, Syria seems a long way away, though almost every night our TVs reveal pictures of almost unimaginable suffering.
 
Every day over 3000 volunteers and staff from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement put their lives on the line to assist those who need medical care, a place to sleep or something to eat.
 
Syrian Arab Red Crescent is assisting at least two million people a month. The broader Red Cross Movement is also assisting tens of thousands of refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.
 
Help us to reach out a hand to the people of Syria so they can have at least the basics they need to live and survive through these terrible times. I urge you to donate to the Syrian Crisis Appeal, visit www.redcross.org.au/syriacrisis.
 
Robert Tickner
CEO, Australian Red Cross