The ongoing conflict in Syria, which began in 2011 as a part of the Arab Spring , has spawned one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. Fleeing physical and sexual violence, a collapsing economy, failing social services, and scarce basic resources, over 4.3 million Syrians have fled to Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and other countries around the world.
The scale of this refugee crisis is often hard to grasp and may leave you wondering what you can do to help. Thankfully, the arrival of the first group of Syrian refugees to Kamloops on Dec. 31, 2015 has highlighted numerous options to take action on a local level to help alleviate this humanitarian crisis.
You can help refugees by:
Taking action in Kamloops
Supporting Refugees and Friends Together (RAFT) Kamloops
RAFT is a local non-profit group focused on sponsoring, welcoming, and supporting refugees including their adjustment to Canadian society. RAFT is sponsoring 4 Syrian families locally and is seeking donations and volunteers to assist in preparing for these families arrival in Canada and supporting them once they arrive.
Get involved with RAFT through:
Taking action at TRU
Getting involved in the TRUSU WUSC (World University Service of Canada) Club
The TRUSU WUSC Club is the local branch of the non-profit World University Service of Canada organization. They work with post-secondary institutions, students, faculty, and staff, in order to improve educational access for refugees. TRUSU WUSC is currently working to sponsor student refugees to study at TRU and is seeking volunteers to assist in the planning and implementation of this Student Refugee Program.
Get involved with WUSC Through:
Supporting government action
Sponsoring a refugee, donating, or volunteering to help #WelcomeRefugees with the Canadian Government.
The Federal Government is enacting a 5 part plan called #WelcomeRefugees to assist 25,000 Syrian refugees to come to Canada. The government is managing the screening and transportation portion of the plan and is seeking volunteers, donations, and sponsors to assist welcoming, settling, and integrating these refugees in Canada. To find out how you can Donate, Volunteer, or Sponsor a refugee to assist the #WelcomeRefugees plan, click here. (cic.gc.ca/english/refugees/welcome/help.asp)
Get involved with the #Welcome Refugees plan through: