Fall, 2016:

Wow– a lot has happened in the last year. We’ve raised over $7,000 and sent Dr. Annie Sparrow to the Turkey-Syria border 5 times with supplies including pulse-oximeters, Drug Dose Books (very useful for healthcare workers with no internet access), portable BP cuffs, Magill Forceps, spring wire guides for vascular access, and Dermabond.

Here, you can see a letter of solidarity we sent to our Syrian friends shortly after the death or Dr. Hassan Al-Araj. Our letter was signed by hundreds of medical students and faculty from medical schools and hospitals across the country.

We are still fundraising and working closely with Annie and the Syrian American Medical Society! We will keep you up-to-date!

Fall, 2015:

Last fall, news of the refugee crisis in Eastern Europe has been dominating major media outlets. However, some members of the European Union, particularly Hungary, were unwilling to open their borders to migrants risking their lives to travel from war torn and impoverished countries to seek asylum in Europe. The world was captivated and finally called to action by the Aylan Kurdi, a drowned three year old who washed ashore on a Turkish beach. Currently, many organizations are now working in the Mediterranean including UNHCR, MSF, Save the Children, and dozens of other NGOs.  You can read more about their work and how you can get involved here.

You can read more about how countries are responding to refugees here, and read more about Alyan here. 

As the EAC, we have historically partnered with small organizations at the root of global health crises. Though an immense challenge in our time that certainly deserves attention and international aid, the refugee crisis in Europe is the product of people forced to flee from their homes. According to the UNHCR as of September 6th, 2015, there are over 6 million registered refugees from Syria, seeking asylum mostly in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan. 9 million Syrians are internally displaced. Fewer that 1,500 doctors remain in Syria.

As such, we decided we wanted to work in or as close to Syria as we could get.

We are partnering with SAMS and Dr. Annie Sparrow to raise money and collect supplies for the doctors that are remaining in Syria. Specifically we will be fundraising to buy:

• 1500 “Drug Doses” Booklets: this is an invaluable tool for doctors on the ground, especially those who have not finished their training and are acting in a role beyond their knowledge-base. 
• Dermabond: glue that can be used to close wounds
• Guide-Wires, by Teleflex: these are spring-wire guides to help doctors gain vascular access on the first attempt in severely dehydrated and malnourished patients. 

We will be raising money through a variety of initiatives, including fundraising events, auctions, and local partnerships. We have also started a Crowdrise. Please consider donating to support our cause! As of October 12, 2015, we have collected over $3500. 

If you want to read more about the history of the Syrian conflict, check out BBC’s quick history. To understand the complex dynamics that create a refugee crisis, read this article from The Conversation.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at EmergencyActionCommittee@gmail.com.