It's illusive.
Occasional Facebook shares tip us in, and it's shocking: haunting photos of crying, dust-covered children.
The situation begs two important questions:
What is happening in Aleppo? And why haven't we been hearing about it?
Aleppo has been the center of turmoil for the Syrian Civil War, which has been raging on under our noses since 2012. The conflict is primarily between supporters of the President Balshar al-Assad and the rebels seeking to upturn his power. "Primarily," because there are also sections of the country under the power of jihadist and Kurd military groups.
The city was once the largest in Syria with 2.3 million civilians. According to the BBC, Aleppo is also Syria's "industrial and financial center," and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Since the civil war began in 2012, Aleppo has been ravaged by gunfire, military invasion, and airstrikes from the loyalists and their Russian allies. Civilians have been fleeing since the conflict's beginning, but thousands remain in the city, with no other safe haven to which they might flee.
This is where the refugees are coming from.
Since 2012, the death toll of civilians has inflated to 400,000. Due to a resurgence of military advances, in November alone this year, 1,400 fell to the various military conflicts and attacks.
As of right now, the majority of the remaining civilians have fled to eastern Aleppo, where they are waiting for evacuation. Some reports say that the rebels have been hindering the evacuation of the near 100,00 citizens from eastern Aleppo. President al-Assad is confident now that the political threat has been subdued, but the street violence and remnant rebel attacks are lingering, and the massive group of civilians has not near enough shelter and emergency assistance.
Many civilians are injured, but the hospitals in east Aleppo were wiped out by airstrikes.
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on actions bringing humanitarian aid to Aleppo and the other largest cities in Syria, where other conflicts have also destroyed living conditions for civilians.
Get Involved
Now that all this is in the open, what can be done? How can working parents, concerned college students affect the cold, hungry Christmas that the Syrian civilians will experience in rubble and confusion?
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been influential in coordinating efforts to bring humanitarian relief in the form of food and life-support to those stranded in east Aleppo. The organization is fighting to continue evacuations in east Aleppo. Donate that Starbucks money here.
Save The Children is a humanitarian relief organization that targets orphaned and uprooted children. They work directly with the displaced families with on-location supplies and pre-prepared medical kits, and since 2011, have reached over 1 million children and families. Click here to help.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) similarly provides emergency relief, and work more specifically with the local emergency health services. They are supplying clothes and immediate assistance to displaced families, providing food and classes for orphaned children housed in camps and communities, providing safe spaces for isolated women and girls, and providing job training for the internal stability of displaced households. Find their website here.
And lastly, the Preemptive Love Coalition, which breaks down donations in packages so you can choose to provide a sleeping bag for a refugee, feed one person for a month, or sponsor a family for any amount of time. You can find them at www.preemptivelove.org.
Christmas is coming, so stop and spare a few extra dollars on a lasting, human cause.
Syria needs "Christmas" generosity, and we can give it.
