You Can Help Right To Play Guarantee Children a Future

As you look forward to home cooked meals and quality-time with your loved ones this Thanksgiving weekend, here in Lebanon I see too many families with little to be thankful for.

Torn from their homes, schools and communities, millions of children affected by the Syrian refugee crisis need your help. They are losing their childhoods, their dreams, and their right to an education.

To better plan our resources and have the biggest impact possible, we’ve set a fundraising goal of $50,000 by Friday, October 16, 2015. With incredible support from people like you, Sheila, we’re nearly halfway there.

That’s why I’m urging you to please donate $50, $100, $200, $1000, or $5000 to help children like Soorya regain their confidence and their childhood.

As Program Manager for Right To Play here in Lebanon, the refugee camps I visit are crowded with children traumatized by their exposure to war.

Many of the children I’ve spoken to are accustomed to living with stress and fear. They feel like they have nothing to lose. Without attention to their psychological scars, they are at risk of being lost to this tragic way of life – a life without a childhood.

During my most recent visit to the "Okhowa" Fraternity Association, I met a young girl named Soorya who reminded me how urgently we need your help, Sheila.

"I used to live a normal life," 12-year-old Soorya told me. "But when the war started, it mercilessly destroyed each home sparing no man, woman, or child."

Soorya witnessed many horrors. She had screamed and cried so much that she eventually lost her voice. When her voice came back, it didn’t sound the same.

She tried desperately to recover from the nightmare of being forced to flee her home in Syria, but the ordeal plagued her social life too.

She stuttered, she was ashamed of her voice, and due to her low self-esteem, interacting with other children and gaining their acceptance was an uphill battle.

Soorya preferred to avoid speaking, and if she did speak, she covered her mouth.

Children like Soorya are why Right To Play exists – to give support to children who are suffering and help them begin healing through play. That’s why I’m asking you to make a donation today that will help children devastated by the refugee crisis to take back their childhood through play.

Your donation today will take us closer to our goal of $50,000 by Friday, October 16, 2015. The sooner we secure this vital funding, the sooner we can guarantee children affected by this crisis can get back their childhood through play.

Not only will your urgently needed gift help children like Soorya, the Government of Canada will match every eligible dollar donated by individual Canadians in response to the Syria crisis, doubling the impact of your donation.

After just 5 months of participating in Right To Play programs, Soorya conquered her problems. Her stuttering decreased, her self-confidence increased, and she even played with her new friends.

We are proud to have helped Soorya, but we need your support in order to reach the countless other children affected by this crisis.

As you’re reading this, there are millions of children who need your help recovering from the trauma and hardships of this crisis. With your support, we can transform their lives and help them take back their childhoods through play. Please give today.

Sincerely,

Janine Ayoub

Program Manager, Right To Play Lebanon

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