Lena Ginawi, Kiran Waqar and Dina Alsaffar are collecting blankets and raising money for citizens in northern Syria who have been displaced and face a difficult winter. The war between the government and Islamic State is entering its sixth year, and millions of Syrians have fled the country.
The teenagers are working with New Hampshire-based aid organization NuDay Syria.
After the students’ efforts were highlighted in a report on Vermont Public Radio, the governor invited them and a third student, Dina Alsaffar, to his Montpelier offices to help raise awareness for their humanitarian work.
“Thank you for your compassion, your big hearts, for being such great Vermonters. We’re proud of you and we want to help,” Shumlin said at a Thursday news conference.
Shumlin and the students were joined by Tom Torti with the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce and Parker Riehle, with Ski Vermont. Each organization gave the girls $500. Several ski resorts and other local businesses have also pledged donations.
The teens who are first generation Muslim immigrants, said they also want to combat the negativity toward Islam in the United States.
“We also wanted to let everyone know that what we’re doing here is actually how our religion, Islam, is represented, through kindness and through generosity, and not like how some media or politicians portray us,” Ginawi said.
The businesses and individuals the students contacted for donations have responded positively for the most part, they said, but in one instance, VPR reported that a local company, Johnson Woolen Mills, told the girls via email their efforts would be better spent supporting U.S. military veterans.
“We feel the Syrians should stay in Syria. It would be nice to see Americans supporting Americans. We have thousands of Veterans that have fought and died to defend this country. Some are homeless and living on the street. If you want to do a meaningful project, please consider taking care of the people in this country,” wrote Stacy Manosh, one of the owners of Johnson Woolen Mills.
Ginawi said the response was “disappointing” but they would not be “bogged down” by negativity, because the need is so great and Syrians continue to face abhorrent conditions in their home country as they flee for safety elsewhere.
So far, the students have collected 170 blankets. The money they raise will be used to ship them to Syria, and any cash collected beyond that will be donated directly to NuDay Syria.
People who would like to donate warm clothes, blankets or other items can drop them off at the Public Library in South Burlington, 540 Dorset St. For more information check out the aid campaign’s [Facebook page].
Shumlin said the students exemplify the values that make Vermont and the U.S. great. He said he looks forward to welcoming a handful of Syrian refugees who are likely to resettle in Vermont in the coming year.
