Baltimore, MD, August 1, 2013
Since the opening of satellite offices in the Syria's Dara'a governorate last January, IOCC/GOPA has registered more than 20,000 internally displaced families from the towns of Dara'a and Ezraa in immediate need of humanitarian assistance. An additional 40,000 families that fled the town of Nawa last week due to intensified fighting are also being registered to receive humanitarian aid. Photo: IOCC/GOPA
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Restricted movement and disruption to normal life brought on by Syria's two-year conflict has left as many as eight million Syrians in need. With roads linking Damascus to Dara'a and other major Syrian towns often closed for extended periods of time, thousands of families living in the country's southwestern governorate of Dara'a remain trapped in their homes as prolonged fighting in neighborhoods throughout the region intensifies. Many have lost their jobs. Food and basic necessities are becoming harder to find.
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IOCC/GOPA is currently the only international humanitarian agency with offices registering the needs of the affected Syrians in the region, and has one of the largest networks inside Syria to respond to the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Since 2012, IOCC has provided emergency relief to more than 820,000 Syrians displaced in their own country or living as refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Armenia.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
You can help the victims of poverty and conflicts around
the world by making a financial gift to theInternational Emergency Response
Fund which will provide immediate relief, as
well as long-term support through the provision of
emergency aid, recovery assistance and other support to
help those in need. To make a gift, please visit
www.iocc.org or call toll
free at 1-877-803-IOCC (4622), or mail a check or money
order payable to IOCC, P.O. Box 17398, Baltimore, MD
21297.
ABOUT INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
CHARITIES
IOCC is the official humanitarian aid agency of the
Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and
Central America. Since its inception in 1992, IOCC has
delivered $438 million in relief and development programs
to families and communities in more than 50 countries.
IOCC is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition
of more than 130 churches and agencies engaged in
development, humanitarian assistance and advocacy, and a
member of InterAction, the largest alliance of
U.S.–based secular and faith-based organizations
working to improve the lives of the world's most poor and
vulnerable populations. To learn more about IOCC, visit
www.iocc.org.
Media contact: Rada K. Tierney, IOCC Media Relations, 443-823-3489, rtierney@iocc.org
