There is an urgent need for warm winter clothes for adults, children and babies who have lost everything and are refugees in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Clean mattresses, Moses baskets for babies, shoes (good condition), duvets and towels would also be welcome. These displaced people are living in the most terrible conditions. Amnesty International reports: “There are shocking gaps in the humanitarian response. People are living in ill-equipped camps or buildings with no walls and no shelter from the cold, wind or rain. Children are running around in thin clothes in the freezing cold.”
A Brighton mother, Samara Levy, who is organising lorry loads of clothes and shoes to this area says: “There have been recent reports of newborn babies dying in tents because their families are unable to keep them warm. Giving our clothes and shoes is something all of us can do . . . We are all called to share what we have with those who have nothing, and this is a great way that people can get involved and do something practical to help our brothers and sisters who are facing the toughest winter of their lives.”
All donations must be clean and in good condition: clothes washed, zips working, all buttons attached and no holes in jumpers, please. They can be left at St Mary’s church, Rye, 9.00am-4.00pm; final day for leaving donations is January 31. If you have any queries, please contact Janet Waddams on 01797 214089.
For more information online, see the website for FFRME (The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East) or Facebook.
Photo: FRRME