In Syria, Aid to the Church in Need steps up emergency aid for Aleppo, Tartus
Wednesday, August 24, 2016

"Because of your help we are able to stand beside our people and help them, making their burden lighter."

By ACN Staff

NEW YORK—Fierce fighting between the Syrian army and opposition forces for dominance over Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, has left countless Christians and Muslims without food, water, and electricity.

To come to the aid of Christians in Aleppo as well as al-Hassakeh, another embattled urban center, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has launched a special campaign to meet the most urgent needs of almost 3,000 families.

Local bishops, priests, sisters and laypeople, who will distribute the aid, told ACN officials:

“Because of your help we are able to stand beside our people and help them, making their burden lighter. We are trying to keep in contact with an ever increasing number of families and secure for them as far as possible what they need to live with dignity.

“We need to support them in their daily life, specifically families with children, and the elderly, because they are the most vulnerable. Life has become very costly and tough. Our families struggle with fear and anxiety about the future. The constant question people keep asking themselves is whether or not to stay, and what their ultimate fate will be.”

In the city of Tartus aid is being rushed to provide milk and other vital supplies for 650 babies and toddlers. Volunteers on the ground have reported that “parents are delighted that they are not abandoned by God.”

Local Christians, in a direct message to ACN donors said: “You are the visible image of the invisible God—giving local families a moral boost, who might otherwise feel having a baby is a burden instead of an occasion for happiness and joy.”

New life in Tartus