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Syrians: “The world is failing us” CARE
People are very frightened. Their fear is contagious – it presses in on you. Even for someone like me who has weathered many crises, it’s hard to bear hearing story after story from Syrian refugees.
These refugees are very similar to you and me – except that they’ve been forced into unimaginably difficult circumstances. They are hardworking people: engineers, doctors, and teachers – proud people who never imagined having to beg for basic needs to survive.
They have no idea when they will be able to go home. Or if it will ever be possible to return. Chances are that many of their homes have already been destroyed. In some cases entire towns are gone. One woman described the beautiful city in Syria she lived in, and then sadly confided, “It no longer exists.”
I’ve just returned from Jordan, where CARE is preparing for a new onslaught of refugees. Overall, 2 million – half of them children – have already fled across Syria’s borders. With the looming threat of international military intervention, we could soon see many more. It’s been an intense few days as we shift into contingency planning mode.
We expect the number of refugees to swell to 3.4 million by December.
Syria has been in the news a lot lately, but the stories of the Syrian people – the people, so much like you and me, who are struggling to survive in the middle of this escalating crisis – are getting drowned out. I’m committed to helping the people impacted by the crisis, but none of us can do it on our own. We help because we have to – because our fellow human beings are counting on us and need help.
As an important supporter of CARE, I wanted to let you know what our community is doing right now for Syrian refugees. Here’s just a quick list of highlights of CARE’s work helping Syrians affected by this humanitarian crisis (explore more details here):
- Expanding refugee support in Jordan and Lebanon as well as supporting refugees in Yemen and Egypt;
- Providing emergency cash to help families fund shelter and medical needs, as well as providing food, blankets, winter clothes, and other critical supplies;
- Working with the UN and other agencies to open a new refugee camp in Jordan to house tens of thousands of refugees;
- Running a support center for refugees in Amman, the capital of Jordan, as well as in three other urban areas in order to meet growing demand;
- Providing 7,000 refugees in Lebanon with access to safe water by repairing infrastructure and improving drainage systems, with plans to scale up and meet the basic needs of 150,000 refugees;
- Providing shelter kits to refugees in Lebanon to upgrade and repair houses in informal settlements; and more.
It’s life-saving, essential work. But even I will tell you it’s simply not enough.
To date, CARE has secured less than 20% of the estimated $50 million funding that we need for our life-saving response. As of August 28th, the UN’s own appeal is only 39% funded for this, the world’s largest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century! At the same time, CARE is continuing its work throughout the world, creating long-lasting solutions to poverty.
I have heard Syrians say that the world is failing them and it breaks my heart. As a CARE supporter, I’m sure you feel the same. Help spread the word of their plight, and keep Syrians in your thoughts.
Thank you, as always, for your willingness to step forward and help reduce the suffering of our fellow human beings. I can tell you from firsthand conversations with refugees that your support is greatly appreciated and most urgently needed.
I promise to keep you updated as the situation unfolds in the coming weeks.
With greatest hope,
Holly Solberg Director of Emergency and Humanitarian Assistance, CARE
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Nathan Bedford Forrest High School … Jacksonville, FL
Duval Public Schools: No more KKK High School
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Petition by
Jacksonville, FL
I moved to Jacksonville from Long Island 12 years ago. Since then, I’ve put down roots here. I’ve helped raise a beautiful daughter here. This place is my home now, and the people who live here deserve better than a high school named for the first Grand Wizard of the KKK.
That’s right, Jacksonville is home to Nathan Bedford Forrest High School, named in honor of a Confederate general who infamously slaughtered Black Union soldiers who’d already surrendered and who was a founding member of the original Ku Klux Klan. The school got its name in 1959, when white civic leaders wanted to protest a court decision that called for integrating public schools.
I don’t want my daughter, or any student, going to a school named under those circumstances. This is a bad look for Florida — with so much racial division in our state, renaming Forrest High would be a step toward healing.
Five years ago, the school board voted 5 – 2 to keep the name. But a lot has changed in five years. All five members who voted for Nathan Bedford Forrest have been replaced. There’s a new school superintendent who publicly stated that he would support a push from our community to change the name. Now is the time to right a historical wrong. African American Jacksonville students shouldn’t have to attend a high school named for someone who slaughtered and terrorized their ancestors one more school year.
In the end, I want my child to be able to go anywhere in Jacksonville and be proud of where she is. That can’t happen with Nathan Bedford Forrest High School. Please support changing the name today.
- Petitioning Nikolai P. Vitti
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Gov Inslee in the Newsroom
Be a Seed for Change 
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