Help a Local Syrian Family
Donation protected
Update as of Jan. 27, 2017:
Our family is doing well, but they are badly in need of a vehicle for their family. The father rides a bike to get around, although he is suffering from some heart issues and cannot pedal too fast without having some pain. He is seeing a doctor about this. The family has 5 children between the ages of 1 and 9 years old. I am hoping to raise enough funds here to help them purchase a used van. Thank you for your support
Original Post:
The current happenings in Syria are absolutely heartbreaking. Lucky are those who have made it out and even luckier are the very small percentage who have been selected to settle in San Diego!
I am a local resident of south Carlsbad/Encinitas and am volunteering with Hearts4Refugees, a great organization that provides support to families after their support from agencies like the IRC has ended (3 months after their arrival). Without the help of non-profits like Heart4Refugees, these families would be left on their own to find their way, often without jobs, a network, and many of the basic necessities they need to thrive.
Hearts4Refugees offers an awesome program in which locals can "adopt" Syrian families in order to get to know each other and for the locals to reach out into their social circles to help support the families with what they might need.
My adopted family is the Mala Hajji family! The father of the family, Qatb, worked as a handyman in Syria. If you know of anyone locally hiring or in need of a handiman, please let me know! I got to speak on the phone today with the mother of the family, Ghaliya, and I could hear her very excited children in the background. Hearts4Refugees provided a translator for the call and while Ghaliya tried to outline the family's most pressing needs (an iron, 2 large rugs as their apartment is very cold, a sofa for their family room, and warm clothes for her children), I could hear the kids getting more and more excited. Laughing, Ghaliya explained that the children would love some toys and a Christmas tree, at which point the kiddos could be heard cheering in the background. Those sound juxtaposed with the current news made quite a contast...
I am excited to meet my family in perosn on Sunday and will be bringing them a first batch of toys and clothes that my friends and neighbors have generously donated. The family has 5 kids (I am told they are so cute!):
Roj, a little girl turning 1 this month
Ali, a little boy aged 2.5 (3 in April)
Jan, a little boy aged 5.5 (turning 6 in April)
Zalal, a little girl aged 7
Omran, a little boy aged 9
I will post additional photos soon!
Your support will help this family greatly! Thank you!
Our family is doing well, but they are badly in need of a vehicle for their family. The father rides a bike to get around, although he is suffering from some heart issues and cannot pedal too fast without having some pain. He is seeing a doctor about this. The family has 5 children between the ages of 1 and 9 years old. I am hoping to raise enough funds here to help them purchase a used van. Thank you for your support
Original Post:
The current happenings in Syria are absolutely heartbreaking. Lucky are those who have made it out and even luckier are the very small percentage who have been selected to settle in San Diego!
I am a local resident of south Carlsbad/Encinitas and am volunteering with Hearts4Refugees, a great organization that provides support to families after their support from agencies like the IRC has ended (3 months after their arrival). Without the help of non-profits like Heart4Refugees, these families would be left on their own to find their way, often without jobs, a network, and many of the basic necessities they need to thrive.
Hearts4Refugees offers an awesome program in which locals can "adopt" Syrian families in order to get to know each other and for the locals to reach out into their social circles to help support the families with what they might need.
My adopted family is the Mala Hajji family! The father of the family, Qatb, worked as a handyman in Syria. If you know of anyone locally hiring or in need of a handiman, please let me know! I got to speak on the phone today with the mother of the family, Ghaliya, and I could hear her very excited children in the background. Hearts4Refugees provided a translator for the call and while Ghaliya tried to outline the family's most pressing needs (an iron, 2 large rugs as their apartment is very cold, a sofa for their family room, and warm clothes for her children), I could hear the kids getting more and more excited. Laughing, Ghaliya explained that the children would love some toys and a Christmas tree, at which point the kiddos could be heard cheering in the background. Those sound juxtaposed with the current news made quite a contast...
I am excited to meet my family in perosn on Sunday and will be bringing them a first batch of toys and clothes that my friends and neighbors have generously donated. The family has 5 kids (I am told they are so cute!):
Roj, a little girl turning 1 this month
Ali, a little boy aged 2.5 (3 in April)
Jan, a little boy aged 5.5 (turning 6 in April)
Zalal, a little girl aged 7
Omran, a little boy aged 9
I will post additional photos soon!
Your support will help this family greatly! Thank you!
Organizer
Katie Singleton Ciccarelli
Organizer
Carlsbad, CA