NORTHAMPTON — To mark the sixth year of Syria’s civil war, the Valley Syrian Relief Committee invites the public to discuss the conflict on Sunday, in an event titled “The War in Syria: What Lies Ahead, and How We Can Help.”
In 2016 alone, the conflict claimed 16,913 civilian lives, according to a report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights. Roughly half of these deaths were caused by Syrian regime forces, the report states.
To make an impact during the long war, the Valley Syrian Relief Committee looks to community members in the Pioneer Valley for support. The committee will host its fifth event in a series to inform the public and discuss the complexities of the civil war.
The discussion will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at Edwards Church, 297 Main St. It is free and open to the public.
Speakers include Stephen Rapp, former U.S. ambassador-at-large for war crime issues; Mouaz Moustata, director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force in Washington and political director of United for a Free Syria; Smith College professor Steven Heydemann; and Nadia Alawa, founder and CEO of NuDay Syria.
The panelists plan to discuss the impact of the election of President Trump on the conflict, war crimes, and ways the Pioneer Valley community can get involved and help.
“The outpouring of support among people in this valley has just been extraordinary,” said Michael Kane, one of three members of the Valley Syrian Relief Committee.
Since the committee’s creation about four years ago, it has raised about $150,000 for the Syrian American Medical Society, a nonprofit that provides medical care to refugees and civilians in Syria.
The meeting on Sunday will be mainly informational, Kane said. “We hope that they (attendees) become much more informed about the gravity of the situation that Syrian people are facing,” he said.