You Can Help Struggling Syrians This Christmas by 'Singing for Syrians'

I really hope people will get behind Singing for Syrians this Christmas and help raise money for these two brilliant charities. Since the start of the conflict in 2012 the UK has allocated more than £1.1billion to help meet the immediate needs of vulnerable people in Syria and of refugees in the region. However, there is always more that can be done.

"My day starts in paediatric clinic, tens of children were waiting for me, a lot of them injuries related to war conditions; like jaundice, incontinence, body traumas and psychological disease.

"Sometime I can't hide my feelings it is so hard to cry and work in the same time. After a few hours of high load works we can take a break to ask about what happened and how many people died or transferred to other hospitals or to Turkey.

"We do our best to save the life of people who decided to stay in their homes." - anonymous doctor, Aleppo, Syria, December 2015

Since 2012, a British charity set up by four friends - Johnnie Barnett, George Butler, Louisa Barnett and Rose Luka - has paid the salaries of seven Syrian medical staff working tirelessly in war-torn Aleppo. This doctor is one of those individuals. His comments are just a glimpse into the harrowing events that occur on a daily basis.

The difference the seven medical staff have made in a conflict that has already seen more than 11million people driven from their homes cannot be understated. They provide people - often too vulnerable to leave Syria - with access to life-saving services. Beyond the vital help these doctors provide to others, the charity Hands Up Foundation is also providing those doctors with a lifeline, a means to feed their own families and keep the expertise of Syrian professionals in Syria.

The charity's work does not stop with medical staff; it is also raising money to support two prosthetic limb clinics, one in Hazano and one on the Turkish border in Reyhanli. Every penny, will go to support the most vulnerable people in Syria and surrounding regions.

That is why I have pledged to help and am now asking for your support this December. Having had some success with fundraising concerts in the past, it struck me that carol concerts would be a good way to raise additional funds and awareness for those people in Syria most in need of our help right now. Singing for Syrians is an idea which crystallised during the Westminster Hall vigil when we returned to Parliament in September. Since then, momentum has been gaining: the response from colleagues and the public has been overwhelming. One village in my constituency is holding three concerts. The Birmingham Bach Choir also held their own event last Saturday.

These concerts will also support Christian Aid who are providing lifesaving essentials to people in Syria. Food, water, cooking fuel, sanitation, education programmes and psychological support for those who are suffering as a result of the conflict.

The flagship Singing for Syrians concert will take place in St Margaret's Church, Westminster Abbey on Tuesday 15 December from 6-7pm. Sir Timothy Ackroyd, Romilly Weeks and Boris Johnson have agreed to do readings. Andrea Jenkyns MP, Nicola Blackwood MP, Bernard Jenkin MP, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP and Will Quince MP will all perform solos. Other MPs will also be singing as part of the choir. All are welcome.

People who want to organise their own local concert can request a 'How To' Guide at singingforsyrians@gmail.com; others with already-planned carol concerts can be encouraged to pass around a bucket.

I really hope people will get behind Singing for Syrians this Christmas and help raise money for these two brilliant charities. Since the start of the conflict in 2012 the UK has allocated more than £1.1billion to help meet the immediate needs of vulnerable people in Syria and of refugees in the region. However, there is always more that can be done. People living in Syria still need help from you and me.

For more details on the upcoming concert, click here

Victoria Prentis the Conservative MP for North Oxfordshire

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