Episcopal Relief & Development responds to crisis in Syria

From ENS-

Episcopal Relief & Development is responding to the ongoing crisis in Syria through two local partners, the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) in Jordan and the Lebanon-based Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) in Syria itself.  FMEEC aims to assist at least 50 families in the hard-hit city of Homs with building materials and food rations.  HLID is providing services and equipment for people with disabilities in the Zaatari refugee camp near Al Mafraq, just south of the Syrian border.

The current conflict in Syria began in March 2011, during the “Arab Spring” that toppled governments across the Middle East.  In Syria, popular protests were met with opposition by the army, loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.  Fighting is widespread throughout the country and, according to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have died so far and over 2 million refugees have fled to neighboring areas.  The city of Homs, midway between Damascus and Aleppo, has been a frequent flashpoint with both army and rebel forces struggling for control.  According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 60-70 percent of the district’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed due to the conflict.  Business and commerce have ground to a halt, leaving many unemployed.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/09/12/episcopal-relief-development-responds-to-crisis-in-syria/