Helga Kissell wanted to help Syrian Refugees, so she started with a letter. As one of the first recipients of a CARE package 71 years ago, Helga knows first-hand that a child refugee can find hope in the kind words of a stranger.
Sajeda lives in a hardscrabble section of Zarqa, near the Syrian border. At just 16, she knows the terror of fleeing the home she loves because of violence. Her family left with only the things they could stuff into bags and Sajeda feels the loss of her childhood home daily.
“When someone asks me,” Sajeda says, “’What was the most precious thing you left behind in Syria?’ I say that I left myself.”
How to Help Syrian Refugees with a Letter #WithSyria
Helga, a former child refugee from Berlin, can relate to Sajeda in many ways. She lost her father to an air raid in 1945, when her house was also destroyed by a bomb. Helga and her mother escaped the city with just one suitcase between them. The pair found refuge in Bavaria, but experienced isolation, hunger, and resistance from local residents.
When Sajeda received Helga’s handwritten letter, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Always remember the good times and look forward to what the future may bring. It is always difficult adjusting to living in a different country. I know!”
Sajeda figured few people knew what Syrians were going through — and even fewer cared. But Helga’s words felt like a hug of encouragement from 5,000 miles away.
“Helga made me feel like I exist.”
Write Your Own Letter of Support
You can send a letter of hope, just as a GI’s family did for Helga in 1945 and as Helga did for Sajeda in 2016.
Syrians inside and outside of Syria have endured five years of war. Millions have been forced from their homes, seeking refuge in other countries.
Reassure them that they are not forgotten, that the world cares. That you care. Send your message of hope through CARE. It can be all the difference in the world to know you’re not alone.
My Letter
Letters are sent via the CARE website and are 255 words or less.
Hello. My name is Mindy and I am writing with my 4 year-old son, Kai. We wanted tell you that we are thinking of you and your family from across the world. We are sending you our hope and care from Iowa. This is a hug from Kai ((hug)) with love.
Donate a CARE Package to Help Syrian Refugees in Need
Help CARE provide supplies, services, relief and hope to Syrian families in need.
CARE has reached over 1 million Syrians with immediate humanitarian relief and support for dealing with the crisis in the long term. Since World War II, CARE has been providing emergency aid that helps families survive — and even overcome — the chaos caused by war and disaster.
What a wonderful way to connect with and humanize people from elsewhere else in the world! We’re going to write a letter too.