Our dedicated volunteers and partners on the ground are at the heart of everything we do, an incredible community across the world who have helped us to make a positive impact on millions of lives!
During our team’s Winter Emergency Appeal trip in 2021, we met Brother Yusuf Taha, 23, during our distribution of winter clothes, blankets and hot meals at Kahramanmaras, Türkiye. The distribution was carried out to benefit refugees braving the harsh cold season, mainly Palestinian and Syrian refugees living in Türkiye.
Yusuf is a student who is also currently working for Hayrat Aid, one of Global Ehsan Relief’s international partners that is based in Türkiye. Being well-versed in English, he had been our translator during our interactions with the beneficiaries.
Yusuf shared with us the difficult situation of the Syrian refugee families – there are one million refugees in Kahramanmaras, with a total of four million refugees officially in Türkiye. Yusuf said that while the refugees are able to get jobs at times, it’s much harder during the winter season, where job opportunities are rarely available. As a result, they have no income and nothing that they could do.
These refugees are required to register their names to the NGOs so that they will be able to receive aid. He stresses that just 10 years ago, Syria was not a war-torn country, but now their people have been forced to leave their homeland unwillingly. He emphasised how GER’s continued help and donations have been a tremendous support for the refugee community there.
While we were in Lebanon, we visited yet another refugee camp. Before that, we assisted our partners in preparing cooked meals for the distribution at the campsite. Alongside the volunteers who were mostly women and their children, we cut vegetables and prepared trays of rice for a family of 5 to 7.
While there, we had the honour of meeting yet another committed volunteer, Lynn Choubassi. Lynn is a volunteer with Rabit Shabeb Saadnayel, a volunteering group in Lebanon, along with her family.
Lynn is currently studying English in her second year in University and shared how she and her family often prepared cooked meals with the organisation, especially during the month of Ramadhan. She agreed that the conditions of the refugees in the camp are very difficult and she is happy to be able to do something for them.
The volunteers that we had the pleasure of crossing paths with, such as Yusuf and Lynn, had inspired us even more. For these volunteers, they were determined, motivated and committed in helping the refugee community that have seek refuge in their countries.
We can also play a part in relieving the struggles of these refugee communities, especially to aid them in braving the beyond-freezing temperature of winter. You can help to share warmth with thousands of people facing some of the harshest conditions we’ll see all year by helping us deliver items like blankets, mattresses, winter clothes and heating materials. Donate now to our Winter Emergency Appeal campaign.
