IOCC Assists Syrian Families under Attack near Damascus

Baltimore, MD (April 15, 2015) — Last week’s attacks on Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp just outside of Damascus, Syria, has left nearly 20,000 of its residents trapped with little access to food, water, electricity or outside aid. The UN has described the conditions there as “beyond inhumane” and is calling for full protection of civilians and humanitarian access.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) with its church partner in Syria, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is assessing the urgent needs of displaced families that managed to escape, and is prepared to provide for clothing, hygiene kits, medical services, and psychosocial support for those in need. IOCC/GOPA is also aware of the plight of more than 600 families that fled to Bet Sham and Yalda, but these areas are now under conflict, and inaccessible.

The small Damascus enclave of Yarmouk has been home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees for decades. Syria’s civil war has severely degraded the quality of life there over the past two years, depriving families of access to food, water, and medical aid.

IOCC, an ACT Alliance member, is providing immediate assistance to displaced families and elderly who have endured four years of a brutal war. IOCC has provided relief to 2.3 million vulnerable people inside Syria since 2012.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

You can help the victims of poverty and conflicts around the world by making a financial gift to the IOCC International Emergency Response Fund which will provide immediate relief, as well as long-term support through the provision of emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to help those in need. To make a gift, please visit iocc.org or call toll free at 1-877-803-IOCC (4622), or mail a check or money order payable to IOCC, P.O. Box 17398, Baltimore, MD 21297.

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IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has delivered $534 million in relief and development programs to families and communities in more than 50 countries. IOCC is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 140 churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy, and a member of InterAction, the largest alliance of U.S.–based secular and faith-based organizations working to improve the lives of the world’s most poor and vulnerable populations.