The Forgotten Millions: The look that tells the tragic story of Syria

NZ Herald

6 Sep, 2015 05:00 PM5 mins to read

Hussein was at home when the bombing started. It was a day he will never forget. Busy doing his schoolwork, he was waiting for his cousin to return home so that they could play. When he heard noises outside his window, he was curious but scared. By the time his cousin finally returned home from school, he was told that there were tanks in the playground. That's when he realised that he couldn't go back. Hussein now lives in a refugee camp in Lebanon. He goes to a school set up by World Vision. Watch his story here:

We need you to help the Forgotten Millions one more time. The Herald and World Vision have relaunched a major campaign to raise funds and help the millions of children left homeless by war in Syria. With your help we can make a difference to the children and their families in desperate need throughout this region.

In my home, next to my late Nana's bone china tea cups, there is a photo of a Syrian teenager named Hind.

I met her two years ago in a shabby refugee tent on the Syrian-Lebanese border. Some will be familiar with her story. It's a story that I know will never leave me.

Her features mark her as Syrian. Almond-shaped eyes. High, wide cheekbones. The dead-straight nose. There is an intensity about her in this photo. She looks strong. Determined. Fierce, even. But I know Hind, and I know that she is none of these things.

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Her look is one of trauma. She fled her beloved Homs when the war arrived on her doorstep and her 14-year-old eyes saw more than any child should ever see. She told me of the rockets, the killing, the fear. Her three-storey home was destroyed. The shelling reduced her father's supermarket to rubble.

I sat next to Hind in her tent, drinking tea and listening to her talk about her life before the conflict. She was a typical teenager. The wardrobe full of clothes. The hairbrush and mirror set that sat on her dresser. The artwork and posters on the bedroom walls. She knows there will be nothing left now. The fires have raged through Homs. It will all be gone. The photos. The school books. Everything.

FAQ: WHAT IS THE FORGOTTEN MILLIONS CAMPAIGN?

Hind tried to speak to me about her future but her voice broke and she lowered her face into her hands and sobbed. Could I understand what had become of her life? Why was she no longer in school? Did the world understand what was happening to her? To the Syrian people?

"Why am I living like this? Tell me!" she said.

I couldn't answer her then. Two years have passed and I still can't. Her photo reminds me every day that she is still a refugee living a miserable, directionless existence. Homeless. Stateless. Hopeless.

Hind told me the conflict would soon be over. She would return to Homs and they would rebuild the family home. Her father would set up another supermarket. Then Isis reared its evil head and destroyed any hope of a future in Homs.

Hind remains in Lebanon but for how long? Maybe her family will seek a life in Europe. Perhaps they will cross back into Syria and try to reach the Turkish border. From there, Europe beckons and the chance of a life in a stable, secure country.

In November I will return to Lebanon and I will visit Hind. I can't wait to see her but I know she will ask me the same questions. She will want to know what we are doing about the plight of the Syrians. She will want to know if we care about her suffering and the suffering of millions of Syrian people.

I still can't answer that question. I just don't know the answer.

Perhaps you can help me. Do we care, New Zealand?

What is The Forgotten Millions: Refugee Crisis campaign?

As the Syrian conflict deepens and the European refugee crisis escalates, the Herald and World Vision are relaunching The Forgotten Millions campaign to raise more funds to meet this growing, immense and urgent humanitarian need. It is considered to be the worst refugee crisis since World War II.

The majority of refugees are fleeing war-torn Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia. More than 300,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe since January; about 2500 have died attempting the journey.

What is the situation in and around Syria now?

The conflict in Syria is in its fifth year. A generation of Syrian and Iraqi children have lost homes, friends, family members, and witnessed or experienced extreme violence. They are now living in makeshift tents and abandoned buildings, their families struggling for food. Calls for funding by the UN and NGOs globally have largely gone ignored and the situation has hit breaking point. In the past two months, more than 500,000 refugees have had their food assistance dramatically reduced or cut altogether, putting unsustainable financial pressure on families. The hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war have used the last of their finances for a chance of a better life in Europe for themselves and their children.

How is World Vision responding?

World Vision has already reached more than two million Syrian refugees, providing them with the basic necessities: water, food, shelter, blankets and hygiene kits, as well as focusing on education and child-friendly spaces to keep children safe from exploitation.

How can I get involved?

Your support will make a crucial difference to the children and their families in desperate need throughout this region. Please make an urgent donation to support those devastated by the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe.