UPDATE:We have moved to GENEROSITY - DONATE
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This is the face of a child who has lost her home and her homeland, driven out by ISIS. Thousands more are suffering this same plight. We cannot stand by and let evil spread. Join us in reaching out across borders to spread a message of love and hope. You can make a difference today.
Unimaginable scenes of suffering and despair. A child’s lifeless body washed upon a shore. Mothers clutching babies in their arms on an endless journey. Families without homes, without hope and without a clue what the future holds. Lives destroyed by ISIS and war. We must act today
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Khazar Fatemi, an international journalist, film documentary maker and Huffington Post contributor has just returned from southeastern Turkey, Syria and Iraq, where she filmed thousands of people whose lives have been uprooted by ISIS – refugees who fled their homes and their country with just the clothes on their backs in a desperate effort to escape the violence and the terror that ISIS sows.
For Khazar, theirs is an all too familiar journey. Born a refugee, she lived without a home for the first 10 years of her life – a life she has dedicated to documenting the plight and struggles of refugees -- families and children from Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, Iraq and the Kurdish regions.
The photographs on these pages represent the thousands of children who languish in refugee camps across the region, living in squalid conditions and facing daily hardships and misery.
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The children depicted here are Kurdish Yezedis who were driven from their villages by ISIS, who attacked, killed and enslaved men, women and children by the thousands. Many watched on television as the few remaining survivors fled to Mount Sinjar in desperation. As food and water ran out, nations joined together to organize air drops for the desperate families and children.
These are some of those surviving children.
2014 - ISIS Still Threatens Yazidis On Mount Sinjar (VIDEO)
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Aid is scarce. Local government resources are strained by the millions of people uprooted by the violence in the region. International aid groups are overwhelmed by the enormity of the crisis.
And every day the crisis grows. As ISIS continue its reign of terror, families are fleeing in the thousands, seeking safety, shelter and a respite from the horror.
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"I took this picture of 4-year-old Lorin yesterday at a Yezidi refugee camp in southeast Turkey/ Kurdistan. Everything stopped around me and I could see the terror and the fear of so many reflected in her haunting eyes -- eyes that have seen too much horror, death and sorrow. Her village was surrounded, the men killed and the women kidnapped. The lucky ones were the ones who fled, even if it was only with the clothes on their back. The world was just watching, saying it is horrible, but really is that the best we can do? When I asked her sister how long they had been in the refugee camp, she didn’t answer in months or years. She has been counting the days. '366 days,' she said. I am wondering, will we reach out our hand on the 367th day?" - Khazar
There is a future for these children and adults but sadly, most will likely never be able to return to their homes. They must build new lives out of the rubble. And we can help.
As they look to the future when they can rebuild communities, return to schools, and rebuild their lives, we can help by sending a reminder that they are not alone – that the world stands with them. We can do that by giving the children the simple things that bring them joy – reminders of a past life that can hopefully someday drown out the memories of violence and loss.
Toys are a small but important comfort for traumatized children who have lost their homes, or perhaps even their parents, siblings or relatives.
We are like you, just ordinary people asking ourselves, how can we help? Will my donation make a difference?
The answer is YES!
We are not trying to solve all the problems, we cannot. We just know what we can do, and how to do it.
OUR GOAL: Provide the refugee children who literally have nothing- infants to teens - with the smallest of gestures that we think will have a big impact. A smile. Fun. Maybe a little joy. Hope.
Dolls, stuffed toy animals, jump ropes, games, crayons and coloring books, soccer balls, volleyballs – all simple items and yet embued with a larger meaning – a memory of simpler, happier times and a hope for the future not bound by sorrow.
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This is a picture Khazar took of refugee boys building a volleyball net from rope, despite not having a ball to play with.
Please consider donating so we can give this:
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We are keeping it very simple to start. We are seeking to raise $50,000 to purchase and deliver these items to camps, to these children.
TAPS is our charity partner of choice. They are skilled and experienced in working with survivors and victims of trauma here at home for our hero's families.They have a global humanitarian vision that includes TAPS and the TAPS family of survivors reaching out to help others around the world who are suffering loss and deprivation.
TAPS has the skills and track record to take charge and make good on our promise, your promise, to help these children.
Read more about TAPS here. The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors is one of the most respected and beloved non-profit organizations in America, serving our military families for over 20 years.
We cannot let evil prevail when it is in our power to act. Thank you so much for your donation. It will go a long way to making these children smile and let them know they are not forgotten or alone.
More on Huffington Post: They Call You a Refugee. I Call You Grandpa.
Arianna's Tweet
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