RECONCILIATION

The war has devastated trust between people, with the divisions between many Sunni, Shia and Christian communities in Syria now being more pronounced than at any other time in recent history. Each of these main groups have lost loved ones, with some having lost many, at the hands of another group.

In many parts of Syria people live among their own faith communities, with a certain street or district being more obviously Shia, Sunni of Christian. While there are some mixed communities, the majority tend to be one or another, with schools, hospitals, charities and services usually being staffed by and focused on its own community. This detachment between communities is especially so of people living in post siege areas, where life and the fighting was most shattering. The complex emotions: the hostilities, anger and hatred felt between some of these groups, are overwhelming.

Our outreach centres for vulnerable children and vulnerable women are working with the most damaged and at risk individuals and families from each group. Through these centres we are providing a safe, loving and nurturing environment in which these women and children from different communities can begin to eat together, learn together, play together and train together. In doing so they are able to see and feel each other’s humanness and begin to understand each other’s suffering. The people we work with through these centres have suffered immense loss, with many suffering severe trauma at the hands of people from another community. All have experienced indescribable pain, with some having witnessed their closest family members being brutally murdered in front of their very eyes, or having been forced to listen at the end of the phone while their loved ones were tortured then slaughtered in the most gratuitous way possible.

Reconciliation has to start somewhere, and begin by breaking down the barriers that are perpetuated by geography and separate communities is a significant starting point. Our core Syrian team are Christian, and are therefore viewed between communities as being more neutral than other groups, and are therefore easier for the majority to begin to trust as a group for bringing others together. Our team do not preach, give out bibles, or have a hidden agenda for providing support. Our only agenda is to demonstrate love to the broken and hurting in a practical and meaningful way, by living out forgiveness and love. We believe that actions speak louder than words, especially in communities that have been exposed to excessive preaching over the years from the same individuals who have been the perpetrators of extreme and brutal violence and sexual violence. They are tired of talking, and tired of empty words. But the language of love in action, and of kindness and compassion, is the language that the blind can see, the deaf can hear, and every heart can understand.

Our goal is to raise an additional regular giving, ie monthly standing orders, to fund the continued running of our two centres, and a third, for the long term. At current exchange rates it costs us around

- £40 each day to feed around 100-120 vulnerable children at each centre (£80 to serve both current centres)

- £150 to pay the average monthly salary of each of our staff who coordinate, teach, cook and clean at each centre.

If you, your church, your friends or family can help in any way, we would be grateful for your support. Please use our standard giving form on the SUPPORT page and choose the ‘Orphans & Widows’ account.