Syria appeal hits £1 million
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More than one million Syrians have crossed into neighbouring countries to escape fighting.
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A concert at St John Bosco’s Hall in Leicester - one of many wonderful fundraising events across the country.
Thanks to your generosity and compassion, our Syria Crisis appeal has raised more than £1 million.
Catholics in England and Wales have raised more than £1 million in response to our Syria Crisis appeal. Over the last three weeks, parish groups, schools and individuals have held fundraising events and donated money to ensure that vulnerable Syrian families have food, shelter and medical supplies.
Just before Easter, musical acts from the Leicester East Deanery came together at St John Bosco’s Hall in Leicester to stage a concert in aid of the appeal. The concert raised around £500 – a fantastic achievement by all involved.
Meanwhile, our wonderful CAFOD Team at Corpus Christi, Bournemouth, held a special Easter cake sale, which raised a stunning £1,119.65.
Mike Noyes, CAFOD’s Head of Humanitarian Programmes, said:
“I’ve just returned from Lebanon, where I met people who’d lost their homes, their possessions and their loved ones because of the war in Syria. Many of them arrived in Lebanon with nothing more than the clothes on their back.
“A team from Caritas Lebanon, the local organisation we’re supporting, visits newly arrived refugees and makes sure they have somewhere to stay. They also provide food, like rice, pasta, cheese, beans and sugar, as well as hygiene kits with soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, and towels and nappies for babies.
“It’s thanks to the generosity of our Catholic community that we can fund this crucial work, as well as programmes helping refugees in Jordan and Turkey.
“We are also one of only a handful of UK aid agencies that is able to work in Syria itself. For more than a year, we’ve helped Church partners inside the country to provide food, shelter and medical supplies. The compassion of our supporters means that we can rapidly scale up this work.”
Wael Suliman from our partner Caritas Jordan said: “I would really like to thank CAFOD supporters for their support, love and solidarity. Together we can make a difference.”
More than 5.5 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid in Syria, while at least 1.2 million people have fled into neighbouring countries. Thank you for supporting our appeal.
