Syriasly...

This is not exactly how I pictured the launch of my blog.

I had visions - visions I've been harboring for almost 3 years now; what can I say? I'm a procrastinator - of launching on a funny note. A whimsical note. A note of humor and many "LOL"s. But wouldn't ya know it? After all these years of holding on to a million little, and BIG, things I want to say, somehow TODAY I am compelled to launch my blog. And on that note, I am starting with a post about Syria. Go figure.

Syria has been on my mind a LOT lately. For one thing, it's all over the news and has taken over the social media sphere with a vengeance (hello?!). For another, many friends are either directly or tangentially involved in something, somehow, somewhere to do with Syria and the crisis that it has been and remains. And finally, it's fucking cold... yes... that is relevant and here's why:

TANGENT WARNING - I'm in Nowheresville, Georgia (well, Evans, to be exact) and it's FREEZING (what I like to call it when it's really a relatively MILD 50 degrees F so, you know, take me with a side of hyperbole, if you will). So, it's freezing (read: not really) AND I have the luxury of central heating, blankets galore, cashmere coats and wooly mittens (does anyone even call them that? Gloves, is what I'm saying), scarves, you name it, to keep me warm and toasty as I sit here, only days before Christmas, dreaming of the traditional sugar cookies I will bake with my nephews and frost and decorate to our hearts' content just days from now (yes, I will post the recipe later!)... because that's what you do when it's cold and dreary and freezing right before Christmas. You bake. And sing carols. And eat a lot. And make stupid New Year's resolutions that you will NEVER keep, because that's just what one does.

Well, yes. If you're very, very, very, VERY fucking lucky. And that's where Syria comes in.

Let me just be very clear for a moment before this flies off on tangents the likes of which even I can't reign in: I am not the kind of person who likes to make a call-to-action by making people feel guilty or shaming anyone into doing something for the greater good of the universe or any shit like that. I'm the first person to admit that I LOVE my luxuries and comforts and just because the entire world feels like it might be going to shit in a toilet (a grosser and more graphic sister of the "hell in a hand-basket" adage), I still don't think that means that we should all hide in shame of our Christmas spirit (or Easter or Hanukkah or Eid or National Underwater Basket-weaving Day, or whatever holiday, you get the point). BUT, I do think it prudent and just kind of necessary that amidst all our glee and good tidings and all that hall decking, that we take a moment and do something about making this world a little better and maybe upgrade the "shit in a toilet" journey to, say, "a really bumpy ride in a donkey cart"? I don't know, whatever, the point being this (FINALLY! THE POINT!):

According to the UNHCR, there are over 2 MILLION Syrian refugees spread out all over the place. Over 1 MILLION of those are children under the age of 17. These kids are freezing and they're hungry. And if you've left your house lately (or been on Facebook and/or Twitter for one SECOND) anywhere in the Middle East in the last few days - well, maybe not ANYWHERE, but at least in Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon... I mean, maybe it's still hot as Hades in Kuwait and Dubai, although I'm betting it's relatively cooler than usual for this time of year - you know it's cold. I mean, it snowed in Egypt for the first time in over 100 years, so yeah, it's COLD. And the point is, if we think it's cold with all the heat and resources we have available to us to at least get us to some semblance of warmth, then can you imagine what it must be like for these refugees stuck out in the desert with just a flimsy tent to cover them up?

I don't need to get into the whole "for the sake of the children and humanity" appeal, you don't need that and it's not my style anyway, but for serious, this is unacceptable, no? I don't give a shit about the politics - well, I DO, but not for the purposes of this post - but all that aside, the fact remains that kids are dying because they can't get enough to eat and they can't stay warm and that is abso-fucking-lutely un-fucking-acceptable in this day and age. In ANY day and age, frankly, but in this one in particular.

So, I was frustrated. I mean, really, really, REALLY frustrated. See, I like to whine and rage and rant and scream about the inhumanities of humanity just as much as the next person, but THEN I like to have a solution. I can't just leave it at commiseration. Nothing makes me feel less human than the inability to actively use the human advantage; which is that of "conscious choice".  Sure, I have the bleeding heart impulse to save all the babies and feed all the world's hungry because, don't we all? But if I think of it in those terms, I'll never get anything done (because I ALSO have this thing about being overwhelmed. I freeze and am paralyzed by tasks that overwhelm me emotionally or physically - you should see me try to take a Boot Camp class, you'll know of what I speak, but I digress... back to the freezing, starving children in Syria, Naila, FOCUS!).

I wanted to DO something. And, lest it be misunderstood in any way, I'm not about to pack up and head off to Syria and throw myself at the problem physically because, frankly, I've had a SHITTY couple of years and I'm tired and want to spend this holiday season with my family, so that's my shitty, lame-ass excuse, but I DO want to do something that has impact. So, I've done some research. If you're in the market for some "do-goodery", I'd like to share that research with you so that you, too, may DO something from the comforts of your homes and amidst your loving and warm families this holiday season.

A lot of times, in the face of these global, too-big-to-fathom crises, it's hard to know what we can do. I mean, we all want to do SOMETHING, give in some way to help, offer some kind of assistance, but a lot of it becomes really mired in the politics, the conspiracy theories, the "whodunnit" questions we've spent nearly 3 years debating because it really fucking matters WHO is using chemical weapons to incinerate babies and innocent civilians... I mean, if it's not Al-Assad and it's actually the Islamist rebels well, then, I mean fuck the kids and the babies and innocents! They deserve it... but if it IS Al-Assad, then... well, who knows? Because it might not be him and it could be other, invisible, sinister forces... Ohmagod!!! Who the fuck cares??! Yeah, yeah, eventually we care and we'll have a tribunal that will go on for decades and eventually lead nowhere, but RIGHT NOW, TODAY, AT THIS MOMENT? There are people who, regardless of whose side they live on or who they support, are being murdered at worst, and left homeless and hungry and desperate at BEST, so you know? I don't give a fuck who's doing this to them, I just care that it stops (in a Utopian version of this universe), or at the very least I care to find some way - however minuscule - to maybe make just a little, teeny, tiny difference and to provide a blanket? A shoe? A pair of socks? I don't know, something, to make it a little bit better for some of these folks and their babies (and frankly, a little easier to justify the freakin' beautiful and irresistible gold knuckle ring I just HAD to have as a Christmas present to myself... a ring I saw in a Glamour magazine I was leafing through... a ring I saw JUST after I read a story about Malala in said Glamour magazine... so, yeah... I need to justify THAT).

There are tons of organizations and foundations out there doing loads of great work. Here's a list of links to some of these wonderful organizations. I've done the due diligence and checked out each and every one of these links to make sure they work and to make sure it's easy enough to find the DONATE button (because nothing spells fundraising purgatory faster for an organization that doesn't make itself "clickable" in one click or less... well, not LESS, but you know what I mean). I'm sure there are more, and I'm still doing my own research, but here's what I have so far (I collected most of this list from a list a friend of mine posted on Facebook, but I checked and corrected some of the links and verified some of the information - thank you, Nermin Amin):

1. Karam Foundation

The Karam Foundation has several Syria-focused projects, including one for the immediate assistance of refugees facing this winter with depleted (or non-existent) resources

2. UNHCR/Donate Syria

You can also read more on statistics regarding the refugee crisis here on the UNHCR site:

UNHCR Data on Syria

3. Syrian Orphans

You can pledge to support a Syrian orphan for $50 per month

4. Hand in Hand for Syria

This is a UK-based organization working to bring emergency relief to Syrians caught in the crisis. Their website is SUPER user-friendly and very easy to navigate with important information and a clear picture of what they need and how they use the donations sent to them

5. Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organizations 

 (Union des Organisations Syrienne de Secours Medicaux)

The UOSSM is a coalition of 14 humanitarian, non-governmental, independent organizations created following the deadly events in Syria. Their major mission is to provide humanitarian and medical aid to Syrian people all across the country and in the refugee camps, regardless of their political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, or any other factor.

UOSSM was founded in Paris-France in 2011, from 14 medical and relief organizations and included hundreds of Syrian doctors or doctors with Syrian origins working inside Syria, and in the United States, Canada, Europe and different Arab countries.

Members are mostly volunteers, and completely committed to adherence to medical and human rights principles. The UOSSM was set up on the belief that everyone should have free access to health services regardless their race, religion or political opinion. It operates with professionals bringing relief while being committed to humanitarian principles and to the medical ethical code.

6. The Maram Foundation 

The Maram Foundation is a US-based organization which aims to raise funds directly for Syrian refugees. Their donation page is simple and easy to understand. For example, $35 will feed a family of five for one week. Easy. Simple. Impact.

7. Syrian Sunrise Foundation

The Syrian Sunrise Foundation focuses on several activities towards the assistance of Syrians in crisis: Education, Healthcare, Sponsorship, Ramadan, Zakat and Udhiya. Their donation link is simple and easy to use and they offer suggested amounts based on the most common needs for each category.

8. Syria Relief

Syria Relief is a UK-based organization with on-the-ground volunteers and was established in 2011 as a response to the emerging humanitarian crisis in Syria.

9. Human Care Syria

UK-affiliated NGO working in Syria and neighboring countries helping Syrian refugees. 

10. Medecins Sans Frontieres
(Doctors Without Borders)

This is not difficult. They're doctors. Without borders. They do God's work on earth. Enough said.

11. International Rescue Committee (IRC)

All donations made online through December 31st, 2013 will be matched dollar-to-dollar up to $1 Million by friends of the IRC. Honestly, that's pretty awesome incentive right there!

12. IHH - Humanitarian Relief Foundation

Founded in Turkey by a group of concerned citizens in response to the crisis in Bosnia-Herzegovina and now continuing its work in delivering aid to areas and citizens in crisis, the IHH has a drop down menu on their donation page where you can choose which humanitarian crisis you'd like to support. There are many. It is tragic.

13. Mercy Corps/Syria

Mercy Corps has a team on the ground in Iraq and is extending their work to aiding Syrian refugees in crisis. Their donate page is easy-to-use, but you need to specify that you want your gift made out to  the Syria Emergency Response Fund to ensure the money gets to the right fund. Still, there are a few ways you can help through Mercy Corps, including signing a petition and making a donation, and there's a good link to some additional information on the crisis:

Info on Syria Crisis - Mercy Corps

And so, this is what I have so far... I'm still looking around and asking and deciding, but that decision is private for each person and doesn't need to be announced or discussed or even confirmed. Even if we decide NOT to donate at all, but just to look at the information and be a little better informed, that's good too. I mean, let's be honest, it's not awesome, but it's okay. No, actually, it's NOT really okay, but it's nobody's business... is what I'm saying.

Do with this information what you will - use it, don't use it - but here's the thing: when you know better, you do better (or at least that's what Oprah says... yeah, I fucking quoted Oprah, what?!) and I just think that as we enjoy all our comforts and luxuries and heating and food and Christmas trees and presents and egg-nog and gluhwein and pfeffernusse cookies and... oh my God, I'm so hungry... ANYWAY, as we enjoy all of that, it isn't really TOO much to contribute $35 to feed a family of five for a week. A WEEK. Come on, I, for one, have spent 100 times that amount on shoes. Literally. (Okay, that's a story for another time, but suffice it to say, it involved divorce and Paris and Christian Louboutin, okay? Yeah, yeah... I'll tell you the story. But not today. Today, it's about the Syrian kids freezing and starving. FOCUS!)

And Happy Holidays!