Syria: Winter clothes and shoes for school children

As part of three educational projects, the Blue Marists in Aleppo have asked for help buying clothes, winter clothes and shoes for school children. In November 2022, our association was able to make a donation totaling €15,000 for this purpose.

The expenses for a total of 525 children and young people are as follows:

175 children each from the “Blue Lotus” project, the psycho-social support program “Seeds” and 175 young people in the “Bamboo program” received clothing, winter jackets and warm shoes so that they could attend school properly dressed.

All of these children and young people come from particularly needy or displaced families who cannot make ends meet due to the very bad economic situation and can only survive thanks to aid programs. They cannot afford to buy clothes and shoes for their children, even second-hand. As a result, most children come to school barefoot and with worn and torn clothing at the start of the school year.

The economic situation in Syria is very dramatic. The cost of living is high, unemployment reaches 50% of the population, 82% of families live below the poverty line and survive only thanks to the assistance provided.

The Blue Marists are a group of religious and lay Marists inspired by the spirituality of Saint Marcellin Champagnat to live the Gospel in daily life with simplicity, modesty and humility. This group consists of a leadership team composed of a Marist Brother and 8 lay people (5 women and 3 men) and 155 volunteers and staff. Under the name “God’s Ear” they have been taking care of the poorest of the poor Christian families in Aleppo since 1986 by supporting and helping them in the areas of housing, education, health and work.

To all donors who have contributed to support this project, a heartfelt thank you!