From the bottom of my heart, I am sending you my sincerest thank you for having made a contribution to my launchgood project to provide Syrian refugees in Greece with urgent winter relief supplies. Thanks to good-hearted people like you, I have been able to raise $5,000 in just two weeks!

I have raised the goal to $7,500 to be able to provide more refugees with warm food, blankets, gloves, hats, etc. since the average temperature in Thessaloniki is anticipated to be lower than 44° F. There are over 600-1000 individuals within each camp I will be helping in, many of which are mothers and children. If you feel inspired to donate a little more, or help spread word, it would mean the world to these vulnerable families. If you need some more inspiration, I am honored to share a story about one of the many little kids I was fortunate enough to have bonded with during my time in Greece over the summer. Her name is Jamila..

(August 10th, 2016): 

"I want to tell you all about a little girl who captured my heart, and changed my life forever. A little girl named Jamila. 

The very first day I met her, she was sitting in the camp, isolated from the rest of the kids running around and playing together. She wouldn't talk to any of them, and I thought it might be worth a shot to finally try myself.

Within minutes of sitting and trying to talk to her, she went from frowning at the ground to sneaking smiles at me. And now, we're inseparable.

Jamila's mother invited me over to eat dinner in their tent one evening, and that's when I learned her story..

They lived in Halab (Aleppo), where they'd witness regime airstrikes targeting schools, grocery stores, and even their neighbor's home. The mother of their neighbor's household was pregnant and died in the midst of the attack. The image of her body decapitated on the floor with a dead, unborn child will forever be ingrained in their minds. She told me Jamila would hide underneath her bed all day, and refuse to come out because of the chaos. She stopped talking and playing with other kids.. even with her own mother. On one evening, they went to visit family in a town nearby, and the next day that they returned, their home also became mere rubble. This is when she told me that I was the first person Jamila has been able to connect with, and love so openly. 

One time, Jamila and I were walking outside the camp during the evening and a plane began to fly over our heads in the distance. Jamila clung onto me so tightly, and began hyperventilating. Even the sight of planes is enough to bring back memories of unimaginable pain. 

Jamila is 2.5 years old.

The heavy amount of suffering and injustice every one of these children has been forced to endure through is entirely beyond what one can imagine. I'll always remember seeing her first smile, receiving 100+ kisses from her each day, and hearing her sweet voice promise me that she will always protect me.. and never allow anyone to lay a finger on me. I promised her I'd never forget them, and that, no matter what it takes, we'll reunite soon.

In Arabic, "Jamila" means beautiful, and she is the epitome of her namesake."

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1280197472020477&set=pb.100000907099613.-2207520000.1477187197.&type=3&theater


Bless your soul for the contribution you have made, and I hope you find more space in your heart to help more innocent families during this bitterly cold time in their lives. 

Yours truly,

Mariam Saleh