Pupils at a Burton school have raised more than £1,150 to help those who are facing unspeakable danger on a daily basis in Syria.
A group of sixth form students at Paget High School, in Branston, were led by head boy Ali Raza to raise the money for the UNICEF Syrian Appeal.
They were so moved by the plight of upwards of eight million people, many children, who are facing danger that they set out to make any difference they could.
They set about enlisting the support of their tutor, Awyas Ali, and other staff and pupils to co-ordinate their efforts.
Mr Ali said: “I was so glad to be in a position, as head boy of Paget High School, where I was able to support fund-raising and make a difference to such a worthwhile cause."
The students organised activities including selling homemade Asian food, a cake sale, five-a-side football and video game tournaments to raise funds. In addition they collected clothes, toiletries and food to contribute to a shipment bound for refugees displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Mr Ali: “We are immensely proud of the young people at Paget who have led this humanitarian effort, and raised funds for people less fortunate than themselves in Syria. It was fantastic to see the whole school community join together and support this worthwhile campaign.”
The Syrian Civil War is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria fought primarily between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and various forces opposing the government, and began as part of the Arab spring of 2011.
This coincided with the most intense drought ever recorded in Syria, and adequate water supply continues to be an issue in the ongoing civil war. Sarin, mustard agent and chlorine gas have been used, often against non-combatants, and the Syrian Centre for Policy Research in 2016 estimated there were around two million people in need of emergency aid.
The Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan appealed for USD $1.41 billion to meet the humanitarian needs of Syrians affected by the conflict.
Anyone who would like donate can do so by visiting www.unicef.org.uk/donate/syria/
