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Faith groups in benefit for Syrian refugees


Singers and musicians from several Eastern Rite churches, together with friends from mosques and synagogues gathered at Farm Street Church in central London, on Saturday for an evening of music, poetry and prayer, to raise funds for the work of Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) with Syrian refugees.

Among the musicians who took part were Fr Aphram and the choir from London's Syrian Orthodox Church and Mr Abdul Salam Kheir, an oud player and singer of classical Arab song. Singers from the Melkite, Maronite and Chaldean Churches also took part. Sarah de Nordwall who organised the evening, performed several poems and sang a psalm with Stella Turner.

At a reception afterwards, MP Sarah Teather and Fr Dominic Robinson SJ shared their impressions of their recent trip to the Lebanon where JRS are working with Syrian refugees.

Fr Dominic said: “My most overriding impression is of the ever growing tension hanging over the region which has created greater and greater immediate needs. The sheer number of Syrians trying to enter Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan is of staggering proportions.  And reports of Lebanon closing its border to Syrians and the violence ensuing has created even greater fears.”

One of the key works supported by the JRS is the education and integration of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. “We had the great privilege of visiting a wonderful education project in Bourj Hammoud, north of Beirut," Fr Dominic said. "For the past two months, 250 Syrian children from ages 5-16, driven out of their country, have been able to attend this new school to learn Arabic, English and French, Maths and science, vital to move into the Lebanese education system.  The day we visited the children seemed joyful, full of energy, and the teachers so focussed and upbeat.  It truly is an incredible project put into place in such a such a short period of time."

Describing the visit as "inspirational" Saran Teather said: "Fr Dominic said the children were just like any children in the UK - they kind of weren't actually. They weren't, because they absolutely adored school. They were so excited. I was an Education Minister for two and a half years and I tell you, if chidden here were as excited about going to school as those children were, it would be a remarkable thing."

She said: "The children were so so grateful to be there. Many of them had been out school for some time before they got to the Lebanon and in the Lebanon Syriuan refugee children are not able to get into school , so these centres fill a very important gap."

Sarah added: " Its not just about education. Its giving kids an opportunity to meet other children and giving them an opportunity to make friends and get out of housing situations which are incredibly overcrowded. If you've got three families staying in one room you are desperate to go to school."

These centres help to give traumatised children who have lost out on their education and been uprooted from the places where they've grown up, some sort of return to normality.

Sarah said: "Its really important to think about the scale of this crisis and what people in Lebanon and Jordan are giving of themselves. They are hosting families from Syria and also from Iraq. Here in the UK we get ourselves into an enormous tizzy if we take more than 50 refugees from Syria. In Lebanon, they have taken 1.5 million refugees from Syria. Their population is six million. Do the Maths. One fifth of the population in Lebanon have come from Syria. Imagine what that would mean. The generosity of Lebanon in taking families who have nowhere else to go who have is extraordinary and inspirational. But it is causing significant tensions on the ground now and that is not surprising. Giving support to make it easier is one of the most important things that we can do."

To make a donation to the JRS see: www.justgiving.com/4w350m3/donation/direct/charity/183466#MessageAndAmount

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