REBUILDING.
Regional Settlement
After nearly six years of devastating conflict in Syria, the death toll now stands at almost 500,000 with approximately 50,000 of those being children. Over 11 million people have been displaced and millions have little to no access to basic needs. Families in Iraq have lived under ISIS occupation for years and in October 2016 a military offensive was launched to reclaim the city of Mosul. In liberated eastern Mosul residents are living without access to basic services and west Mosul is still held by ISIS. The city of Aleppo, Syria was decimated by a military offensive in November 2016. Damage to infrastructure is extensive, services are overloaded, and the humanitarian situation is dire. Some who have been displaced are returning home when it is safe to do so and they face the challenge of rebuilding destroyed houses, farms, schools and businesses. If home is not safe, families may make a home in the new area they fled to. This can mean living on land nobody wants or staying in a camp with poor conditions and limited services. Neighbouring countries hosting the majority of Syrian refugees are under strain and many refugees are living in poverty. Violence robs entire communities of jobs and opportunities, leaving refugee families with no way to meet basic needs.

PROJECT PARTNER.
Preemptive Love Coalition (PLC) is a global movement of peacemakers committed to unmaking violence by confronting fear with acts of love—because they really believe the greatest love is to lay down our lives for others. PLC provide food, water, shelter, and medical care for families on the front lines of conflict. They go to places that are dangerous, oppressed, or forgotten, bringing hope where no one else will go and loving those who no one else will love. PLC are first in, last to leave. In addition to providing essential relief for those devastated by war, they provide education for at-risk children and business empowerment grants so people can rebuild their lives. Their work is based on relationship, living alongside the people they serve, building trust across cultural, religious, and ethnic divides. With 15 years of continued presence in the Middle East, PLC have built lasting, meaningful relationships, allowing a deep understanding of the needs in each local environment.

Thousands of people want to return home but unfortunately there isn’t much to return to; Aleppo has been reduced to rubble. The work of rebuilding eastern Aleppo will take months, if not years—but families shouldn’t have to wait that long for security, warmth, and dignity. Preemptive Love Coalition has assessment teams in eastern Aleppo to inspect homes and prioritize repairs for families ready to return. For each family we serve, we will make at least one room in their home liveable by repairing walls, windows, and doors. We will make sure families have functioning kitchens and toilets. The work is performed by displaced people, also adding to area job creation.

Preemptive Love Coalition comes alongside refugees through relationship-based programming, building trust across cultural, religious, and ethnic divides. Our support equips them to start their own businesses, earn their own money, and remake what was destroyed. Families are empowered stay in their home country, send their children back to school, pay rent, and buy their own food, as well as begin to rebuild the local economic and social infrastructure. Families receive small business grants, training, and support for those who lost everything to ISIS, so they can rebuild their lives and provide for their families long-term.

THE PROJECTS.
Rebuild: Repairing homes Aleppo, Syria
$2,620 AUD can help families rebuild their homes and have a safe place to raise their children.
Restart: Looking to the future, Mosul, Iraq
$1,400 AUD can empower a family to start a business.

PRAY.
Together we pray for an end to the conflict and violence that is taking lives and impacting children and families. We pray for resilience and strength to restart and rebuild their lives, looking to a brighter future. We pray for adequate funding for humanitarian agencies to provide not only relief but put building blocks in place for communities to shape their development and rebuilding. We pray for people to have access to basic needs and essential services including shelter, water, and health care.

LOCAL CHURCH AWARENESS.
If you are part of a local church we encourage you to be mindful of your local church vision and be sure to graciously submit and share your heart with those in leadership in your life. We believe we should see this as an ‘above and beyond’ endeavour that has the capacity to reach out and build bridges into our unchurched communities and ultimately be a blessing.

FUNDRAISE.
Check out our handy little tips on various ways to raise funds. Please see the financial guidelines document online for more practical information. Please note that if a project is completed we reserve the right to transfer any excess funds to another project.

TELL US YOUR STORY.
Send us an email at [email protected] as we would love to hear about how you did it!