There is a famous phrase that you must have seen at some point on the internet. It goes as follows: “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
Over the years people had different interpretations of this message, but all with the same intention and one main message, “when life gives you challenges, create opportunities”. This phrase is constantly reminding us to be optimistic, as life brings us “lemons” that are filled with opportunities and surprises.
But In reality, not all people adapt and cope up as easily as others might do, because what if life, is not giving us lemons? What if instead, life is giving us sourness… and circumstances meant we lost everything.
The sense of home we once had, the safety we once felt, the warmth of being among the people we love the most.
What if you were a refugee?
For most of us individuals facing the adversity of our daily challenges, we GET to experience joy. At the end of the day, we go back to the comfort and warmth of our homes where we could enjoy a pleasant meal with our loved ones, and the sourness of life turns into sweetness, this is our reality.
However, refugee families do not share the same reality as us. As their homes no longer exist, and yet they are still grateful for the safe shelter that they have. Our colleagues have shared some heartbreaking stories from the field that reflect refugee realities.
A colleague from Lebanon talked about a refugee widow she met, who could afford medicine for only 1 of her 4 sick children, having to choose which child can take it. Others from Jordan shared with us a story about a mother, who could only allow one child at a time to leave the house because they owned only a pair of shoes.
To say refugees are suffering on daily basis is an understatement and winter is waiting ahead for them.
Just like every year, the winter cold doesn’t spare the most vulnerable, it doesn’t separate between those who can afford food and heating and those who cannot. When the cold hits, it hits hard.
UNHCR winter programs aim to help more than 3 million refugees and internally displaced individuals between Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, by providing them with the needed assistance to stay warm and well-fed, as well as offer medicine and other basic needs.
These people are not just a figure or number to be read in between these lines, they are parents, children, and grandparents, whom the organization believes should not be left out in the cold.
The bad news so far is that due to the gap in funding, UNHCR can’t help everyone, the good news, you can do something about it. We know that like us, you believe that suffering should not be the norm, this is why we ask you to donate here. We promise it will take less than 2 minutes to change someone’s life and be their “lemon”.
Your donation will go directly to the most vulnerable families, these are the widowed, the elderly, and the children who lost their parents, like cash assistance, allowing them to afford their basic needs in a dignified manner.
Most families report that the assistance they get from UNHCR is spent on rent and shelter, food, medicine, and heating to stay warm.
Now the only question is will you warm their hearts?
To learn more about how your donation money is spent click here.