Humanitarian Community-building Response to the Earthquake in Syria
This program leverages on our experience in community health and social work, and large network on the ground. It will provide temporary home, physical, and metal health care for a year to the most vulnerable of the displaced families, who cannot endure the harsh environment of collective shelters. Targeted families will include families who lost their breadwinners and have vulnerable members of elderly, disabled, chronically ill without social support in their current locations.
A week after the tragedy, it is estimated that more than 18,000 families are displaced, many of which are at health risk in collective shelters. While many of us donated to rescue aid, the needs are ongoing. Between, large administrative cost (offices, executives), and the inability to track donations with rescue organizations, many of us are discouraged from continuing to give.
Based on a successful model of diaspora donations directed to host and provide care for interested families in their communities of origin, we designed this donor-directed program to scale up this model in other Syrian regions.
This program have been receiving generous donations and pledges offline. We we are opening it now to the public. Our ultimate goal is to give home and attend to the chronic health needs of a 1000 families, starting with 100 for the first stage.
This method of aid delivery will ensure the ability of interested donors to track funding. The current average estimated cost is $1,000 per family/year covering relocation basic expenses of rent, livelihood and medical expenses. Some families will require more resources than other based on size and health conditions.
Putting the emotional wellbeing of already distressed families first, interested families will be relocated in groups. Accordingly, only areas that meet the threshold of hosting >10 families (>$10,000 of donations) will be chosen as hubs.
The already collected fund would allow hosting in Homs, Tartous, Rural Damascus, and Swaida; more hubs will be added once they meet the threshold. Donations to areas that didn't meet the threshold, or those that are not earmarked, will be allocated based on the interest of displaced families.
We encourage donor, who would like to earmark their donations to host in their local communities, to organize in groups to be linked with local host communities.
Our donations will empower communities in these regions to host displaced families, and provide them with additional resources, instead of increased burden. Please fill (link at the top of the post) after paying donations to indicate the desired location first.
We would like to invite you to become a part of this collective effort by time or donations and help make an immediate difference in the lives of the most vulnerable. We must take this opportunity of solidarity to bring Syrians closer and work towards rising from the rubble as one.