Trócaire appeals to people of Leitrim to support its Christmas campaign for Syrian refugees

Trócaire has issued a heartfelt Christmas plea to the people of Leitrim to support the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon who have been forced to flee their homes due to the 11-year-long civil war.   

Launching their Christmas appeal, Trócaire Deputy CEO, Finola Finnan, said: “It is vital that this Christmas we don’t forget the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have been forced to flee their homes during this terrible war. Trócaire is proud to work with partners supporting traumatised refugees in Lebanon and helping them live with dignity.”     

“Lebanon remains at the forefront of one of the worst humanitarian crises hosting 1.5 million of the 6.6 million Syrians who have fled the conflict since 2011. The Syrian refugee population in Lebanon remains one of the largest concentrations of refugees per capita in the world.   With the generosity of our Irish supporters this Christmas Trócaire will continue to provide basic needs in the camps in the New Year.”   

Ms Finnan said Irish donations are helping over 8,000 Syrian refugees who are being provided with community resilience training, emergency support as well as psychological support services and digital literacy for youth in the camps.    

“Life for refugees in informal settlements in the Bekka Valley is so hard. The camps are packed with rows and rows of overcrowded and spartan shelters roughly made from wood and tarpaulin. Conditions are really poor especially at this time of year when the harsh winter is setting in.  We thank people in Leitrim for their support of our work over the years, and look forward to their continued support.”   

Syrian born Journalist, Razan Ibraheem, who came to Ireland from Syria as a refugee, and well-known GAA figure and RTE sports pundit, Dr Noelle Healy, also attended the appeal launch. Ms Ibraheem said: "It has been more than 11 years since the start of the brutal war in Syria. The people are still suffering. Syrian refugees in Lebanon still live in tents and are deprived of basic necessities. Syrian refugee children are cold, hungry and missing schools. All they want for Christmas is an act of kindness, a scarf, a jumper or hot soup. Our response to the refugee crises or any crisis, define who we are and what we stand for."     

Noelle Healy, who recently visited Lebanon with Trócaire and saw at first hand the hardship that families are enduring in settlement camps in the Bekaa Valley, said: “It was a privilege to meet with families and to hear their stories. They are living in terrible conditions especially at this time of the year with the start of snow and biting cold. The harsh weather is creating havoc for the families living in tents which often flood and collapse leaving families without shelter.”   

"In the Bekaa Valley I visited two informal settlements in Barelias and Saadnayel where Trόcaire works with its partner organisation, SAWA. I met so many young people who have hopes and dreams like any Irish boy or girl. One 13-year-old I met, Rawan, who has limited access to education, told me she loves fashion and clothes and like me wants to be a doctor when she grows up, perhaps a surgeon. These young people deserve to have their dreams fulfilled.”    

To support Trócaire’s Christmas appeal, or to buy a Trócaire “Gift of Love” visit www.trocaire.org