#Savesyriaschildren

I am an immigrant. I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and ended up immigrating to London in 2008. I am lucky though. I grew up white and privileged and when it came time to immigrate it was easy as filling out the necessary forms and pay the fee and I was over here.

For the people fleeing Syria for a better life at the moment it is such a different story.  First of all they are desperate and fleeing for their lives . I know nothing of that.

We have all seen the and horrifying images of toddler Alyan's lifeless body washing ashore in turkey. My heart breaks reading his father speak of the moment his son slipped away. Like every parent it makes me want to hug my daughter tight. Whilst these images are disturbing it is important we do not just dismiss them and walk away. They have already begun to change some political minds about how we are handling the refugee crisis. It has been tragic photos like these that have been the turning point in a lot of wars and unsettling times.

 I woke up this morning wanting to do something, Anything, to help these people out. I came across a local mother and daughter pair on facebook who are making the trip to Calais, France to help the refugees however they can. I immediately wanted to get in touch and know more. I noticed on the list of things they were looking to bring they had written basic art supplies. That resonated with me me. "I have that, loads of it" I thought to myself. I gave the number on the ad a ring and spoke briefly with the lovely florence. She said that art supplies would be gratefully received. They are hoping to use them with some of the children. Presumably to give their minds a respite from the horrors of the situation they are in.

I gathered a box with  boxes of crayons, oil pastels, and coloured pencils. Also a mens coat we had in the under stairs cupboard. When I gathered it into the box it looked so measly and small. 

I drove it to the address on the advert and was greeted by a kind woman by the name of Wendy. She led me to the big shed out back of their house they are using to hold the items to bring over.

Looking at all the bags filled with very basic essentials and some childrens toys really brought home the situation the refugees are facing.

She told me the story of the morning her daughter woke up and said "mom, I HAVE to do SOMETHING. " and she agreed. She shared that she was a bit nervous about the trip . But was quick to add that the refugees were faced with challenges a lot more nerve wracking then hers. I am grateful to meet such a selfless, kind, individual and I wish her and her daughter a safe journey.

The blogging community has started its own movement. The blog @mrandmrstplusthree  urges bloggers to post a black and white picture of their children holding a sign saying "It could have been me" with the hashtag #savesyriaschildren in an effort to raise awareness on the issue. You can also see dadbloguk's  post and picture . He speaks about seeing the camps grow huge in size over a relatively short period of time. I also urge to please text SYRIA to 70008 to donate £5 towards helping fund food, clothing, and shelter for the displaced refugees.

My hope is that maybe 1 child gets a piece of those art supplies and draws a picture, reigniting their battered imagination. Perhaps it may give hope that they can create a life for themselves wherever their journey ends.

                                                      Always, Kass