Syrian Refugees Find Help & Hope Thanks To Coloradans
DENVER (CBS4) - For Syrian refugees relocated to Colorado, establishing themselves in a new country and home is a daunting undertaking.
There are now nearly 50 Syrian refugee families living in Denver and Aurora, some having arrived as recently as this week. A group of Denver and Boulder moms hoping to ease the families' burdens have begun delivering donations of household items and toiletries to refugees in the metro Denver area.
Having heard about the challenges facing the families, the women launched a grassroots effort to help out -- collecting both new and used cookware from friends, asking peers to pick up extra items at the store, like shampoo and soap, and building care packages for the families.
On Thursday, Leslie Peng, of Boulder, filled her minivan with microwaves, Tupperware, and toys, and, along with her husband and son, headed for Stapleton, where they met Nawara Chakaki, who is coordinating with Syrian families to get them the donations.
"I think it's really important that the refugees feel welcome and supported in their new country," Peng said, after unloading donations of diapers, paper towels, toothpaste, and laundry detergent into Chakaki's garage.
Through posts on social media, she was able to collect more items that she had expected.
"There are people who want them here and hope that they thrive," she said.
When Peng learned about the effort through friends, she jumped at the chance to join in, having found a way to act, and rather than only react, to horrific news reported from the war-ravaged country.
"Watching the news out of Syria over the last couple of years has really been heartbreaking," Peng said. "Just seeing all of these families lose family members and their whole communities and feeling really helpless, not being able to help them."
For refugee families struggling to pay rent and relying on food stamps, simply having someone bring them a working microwave or a bottle of detergent goes a long way.
Peng and Chakaki delivered some of the donated items to Saghi Yesir, his wife Marwa, and their three children, daughter Safa, 8, and sons Mohamad, 6, and Manhal, 4. Three and a half months ago, the family arrived in Denver with clothing and a few belongings, but little else. Amid bombings, water shortages and power outages, three years ago, they fled the fighting in Aleppo for Turkey. While living in Turkey, they were unable to get the medical care needed to treat Safa's rheumatoid arthritis. Without treatment, her condition can be debilitating. They applied for refugee status in the United States and were accepted.
"Initially, when we first got here it was very challenging, but not nearly as challenging as what we've already been through leaving Syria and going to Turkey," Saghi Yesir said, with Chakaki translating.
Despite arriving in the U.S. without knowing how to speak English or having any relatives or friends in his new home, Yesir says he was able to secure a better job than many of his fellow refugees.
Refugee and outreach groups have provided assistance, but Yesir worries about the future. As financial obligations grow, he wonders whether his job will be enough to sustain Denver's high cost of living.
"Items like the detergent and the cleaning items and the shampoo, it's not stuff we can purchase with the food stamps, so it is very helpful that those items are brought to us and help us focus more on paying our rent," Yesir said.
In Aleppo, Yesir ran a business making handbags. When fighting began nearly six years ago, he saw his beloved city and home descend into chaos.
Marwa gave birth to Manhal during a bombing siege. There was no electricity and little light. They could not get to a hospital. Yesir's brother was killed in Aleppo. Some of the family's relatives remain in the devastated city.
This week, the Syrian regime said it had taken over control of the eastern portion of the city from rebel fighters, news that signals a turning point in the war, and, that Yesir says was, at least initially, a "relief."
"At least now the killing has stopped and people were able to leave safely," Yesir said. "But, of course, that's a big price Aleppo has paid."
Tears filled Yesir's eyes as he described the crisis. Since civil war began in 2011, the United Nations reports an estimated 400,000 Syrians have been killed and nearly 5 million people have fled the country.
"The feeling of helplessness, the feeling of depression, the feeling that nobody was there to help Aleppo and help the people of Aleppo, the disappointment, the pain seeing what has happened and the complete destruction of what you called home," Yesir said. "I would like for people to know that Aleppo was once a beautiful city and had a very important place in history. Now its children have died, it is completely destroyed."
Yesir has attended rallies at the state capitol in Denver to raise awareness for the people of Syria. He plans to get involved in causes not just for Syrians, but for victims of suffering and injustices in other countries, too. He says meeting new people has helped his family adjust to life in Colorado.
"It's human nature to feel pain with any group that is suffering and that they see suffering," Yesir said. 'It's important to share the truth."
Peng and Chakaki are continuing to deliver donations to Syrian refugees living in metro Denver. They have started a GoFundMe page to raise money to purchase new items for the families.
Lauren DiSpirito reports for CBS4 News at 10 p.m. She covers breaking news and feature stories along Colorado's Front Range. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.