Syria Earthquake Aid

Since the earthquakes happened February 6, 2023, SCM has been working to get aid to the people in Syria who are in dire need. People have lost their homes and it is still very cold out right now. Spring hasn’t arrived yet and the weather is unreliable and people desperately need shelter.

SCM is working with the Jordan Hashemite Charities Organization which is airlifting supplies to Aleppo for distribution in the area. On the first airlift, 1.5 days after the earthquake, we took all the blankets and warm clothing, hygiene supplies, and anything else that would be useful, from our Madaba warehouse to the airport to be loaded on the plane and sent to Aleppo. We have been buying blankets, tents, hygiene supplies and water purification supplies that will go out tomorrow on another flight to Aleppo. JHCO has shared a list of medications needed with us and we have wired over $50,000 so far to help purchase all that we can, to get on their next flight out.

But this is only a drop in the bucket of what the people in northwestern Syria are going to need. Most of the international aid and equipment is going to Turkey while the people of Syria are digging survivors and bodies out of the rubble with their bare hands and basic tools – very little equipment is available to them.

As the rescue efforts turn to recovery and survival for the men, women and children living in the affected areas, we need to continue to provide aid for them in the form of shelter, warm clothing and blankets, water purification tablets, first aid supplies and medications, and food. The effects of the civil war have devastated the infrastructure of northwestern Syria and the earthquake has brought the region to a new low.

Please donate to help the people of Syria. They feel forgotten by the international community but you can let them know they are not forgotten by you. In addition to the airlifts with JHCO, we have other means to get aid to more people in Syria and will continue to use both avenues to get all the help we can to the people in need.

The situation is getting worse daily and will continue to be bad for the foreseeable future. We need to go full speed ahead on getting funds to Jordan so we can immediately meet the needs of the people in Syria. This is like the early days of the flood of refugees when the war started – it’s a crisis right now and SCM has the ability, with your help, to act quickly to help the people who need it most. And make no mistake, like the effects of the civil war, this will be a long-term aid effort. The ability of the cities to rebuild their shattered streets and services and the families to rebuild their lives is severely reduced. But the will of the people is strong, they just need our help.

Please understand that monetary donations are what is needed. We are not going to be sending containers of aid (which cost thousands of dollars to send), at least not for a couple of months, so please do not drop things off at the office in Seattle. With a cash donation we can wire the money to our office in Jordan or to our team in Turkey, and the next day they can buy what is needed and deliver it to the JHCO warehouse to get on the next airlift or sent to the people in Idlib and Afrin.

We know many of you have donated already, and we are grateful. Please consider sharing this page with your family and friends, clubs, churches, work, or anyone else you can think of that might be able to help. You can also go to our webpage for fundraising and share that link directly with your circle.