Ben Irwin 
Bombs are raining down on eastern Ghouta right now. More than 1,000 civilians are dead. Families are hiding in basements and tunnels.
Up to 400,000 people live in this besieged, battered part of Syria, within sight of the capital Damascus. They have endured the very worst of Syria’s 7-year war.
One UN leader described the situation in Ghouta as “hell on earth.” He’s not wrong.
Some families have no choice but to risk being shot at and shelled by both sides. They walked for days in search of safe passage, unsure what awaits them on the other side. If they make it out, that is.
Ghouta’s families are running hurt, scared, and cold. We have to meet them.
Over 1,000 families have been forced to flee to a camp near the frontlines. More are coming every day. And there are still hundreds of thousands trapped inside Ghouta—they are quickly running out of options.
We have to meet them.
So many of you in recent days have asked how we can help the people of eastern Ghouta. While others look away, you have fixed your gaze. You’ve refused to ignore this crisis.
This is how we can help…
You can provide urgent medical care for those forced to flee.
We are the first to respond with emergency medical care for these displaced Ghouta families. One of our mobile clinics is already on the scene. This one is larger than our other clinics in Syria, allowing it to accommodate more patients at one time. It is staffed by a general practitioner, an OB doctor, one midwife, and two nurses.
Many of the hospitals inside eastern Ghouta have been damaged or destroyed in the fight. You can provide some of the first medical care families have received in a long time. You can also help provide an initial supply of medication capable of treating up to 3,000 people.
You can care for Ghouta’s most vulnerable.
Many families have been unable to provide even the basics for their children inside Ghouta, because of the five-year siege. Thousands of children are believed to be severely malnourished. A lack of adequate nutrition at this age can have permanent effects.
So we’re providing extra nutrition and diapers, to help parents care for their youngest children.
You can provide clothing for those who fled with nothing.
Many Ghouta families have been forced to shelter in basements and tunnels for weeks. Their homes are damaged or destroyed. They fled with nothing. You can provide essential clothing for women, children, and men. No one else is meeting this need in the camp near Ghouta right now.
You can restore dignity with hygiene kits.
The danger isn’t over once families reach the camp near Ghouta. The risk of bullets and bombs is replaced by risk of disease. Hygiene kits protect families from illness. Sanitary pads help women protect their dignity in some of the most dire circumstances imaginable. You can help provide both.
The situation in Ghouta is one of the worst we’ve ever seen. But we are not powerless to help. We can show the families of Ghouta they are not forgotten or alone. We can help unmake the unimaginable violence raining down on them right now.
