Help us to help refugees left freezing

A few of us meet together on Wednesday mornings to pray for the situations in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East. It has come to our notice that there is a desperate need for winter clothes for all the displaced Iraqis who have fled Nineveh and other locations in Iraq. The refugees left their homes in the summer wearing just their summer clothes and are in refugee camps where the canvas shelters have no sides, just a roof. There are also some displaced people sheltering in unfinished buildings with no windows or doors. The weather in northern Iraq at the moment has turned to freezing conditions as the attached photos show. Therefore the situation is dire according to the UN and Amnesty International
 
Alison Roberts (CPCC), Dan Waite (St Andrew's) and Trish Slade (St Mary Magdalene) are organising a collection of winter clothes and provisions to send over to Iraq via a contact in Brighton who has been partnering with Canon Andrew White, FRRME and CAPNI and is experienced in this procedure
 
The initial time scale is very very tight but it takes four weeks for the lorries to get to Iraq because of customs checks and queues at security checkpoints and there are people dying from the cold so we want to get an initial load going.  We all know someone who has asked "What can we do? We feel so useless because we can't help" Well this is something invaluable we can all do, so please would you publicise this initiative in church on Sunday 11th January so people can bring their donations back to your church on Sunday 18th January? By then we will have a venue confirmed for sorting and packaging
 
Please would you also request assistance in the following areas:
1              volunteers are needed to help package the items up for transportation during the week beginning 19th January. Please forward me their names and email/phone numbers so I can co-ordinate;
2              financial donations are needed to pay for the transportation to Brighton or someone with contacts in a haulage company who would help. Alternatively, if someone has a large van and is prepared to take a road trip to Brighton in the near future, that would be brilliant;
3              we also need a secure, dry room in which to store things over the next 6 months (then we will review the situation) as we continue to collect for these poor people in the longer term
 
Please download the following documents for display in your church:
what's needed flyer
what to include and what not to include
 
Matthew 25 v 37 - 40 - Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and go to visit you?”
'The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”
 
Thank you for your anticipated help in this venture
 
Alison
 
Contact: Alison Roberts
               07733 143660
               alisonunite@gmail.com
 
Office:    Christchurch House
              52 Deneside
              Great Yarmouth
              NR30 2HL