Keeping hope alive
As Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Syria, Tony O’Riordan SJ is no stranger to death, destruction, and displacement of people such as has been witnessed again in recent weeks in the Middle East.
In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, he tells of the reactions of Syrians to the renewed conflict on their borders with Israel and Lebanon. He tells of their fear as the situation in Lebanon worsens and of their empathy for the people of Gaza and those killed in Israel.
He points out that the Syrian people have known for too long the sufferings incurred at the hands of powerful forces outside of their control. He says that over two million Syrian children cannot go to school because they have to forage for food and scraps in rubbish dumps and bins. And he reminds people that over six million Syrians have been internally displaced in just over 13 years.
“The situation is worsening daily and they struggle to keep hope alive,” he says, as he tells of the work of the JRS on the ground there. And he makes an appeal for help to support them in their vital work this Christmas. Click here to do so »
Photo on news page: Prachatai (Flickr: CC-by-SA)
