Today is Valentine’s Day, a day all about love. But, what does that really mean? The incredible bell hooks said, “love is an action, never simply a feeling”. Love is one of the strongest feelings. But, it’s more than that too. Love isn’t just how you feel on the inside, it’s also about what you do, all the actions that you make, and how you interact with the world around you.
Every day, people around the world do incredible things to help each other.
We see such incredible acts of love through our work every day that change people’s lives for the better. Whether that’s working with people to give direct support, donating what you can, or sharing the word – your love really does make a difference.
The recent earthquakes that have caused devastation across Türkiye and Syria have been heartbreaking to see. We’re sending our love to everyone impacted by this humanitarian disaster, and all of the funds raised through our Valentine’s Day Bundle will go directly to our partners who are responding to the emergency on the ground.
Today, we wanted to show the impact that your donations make, so we’re highlighting beautiful moments of love in action from our partners working to support refugees and displaced people across the world.
- This dad is reunited with his children after years apart
The first picture shows the last time this father saw his children before leaving Egypt to seek safety in the UK. The second picture shows them finally living as a family after years of separation.
Our incredible partner, Together Now, made this happen. Together Now supports refugees living in the UK to reunite with family members they have been forced to leave behind whilst fleeing persecution.
We cannot overstate how much it means to be able to be in the same country as your loved ones. We are so happy to hear that this family is now happily settled in the UK, and the children are attending school, thanks to the help of Together Now.
- The incredible team at Peace of Mind getting healthy meals to a family going hungry this Christmas
Our incredible partner, Peace of Mind, supports the refugee and asylum-seeking community in the North of England.
At one of their community workshops just before Christmas, one of the children attending the session returned a couple of times to the food table and asked to take some home.
After making sure they had enough to eat, the children told them that due to an issue with their mum’s card, their whole family hadn’t been able to eat a proper meal for 4 days.
The family was waiting for a replacement card, and without any friends or family nearby, they had no one to turn to for help.
Peace of Mind quickly stepped in. They provided nutritious meals to last the family over the holidays and ensure they had enough food on the table until their replacement card arrived.
Thank you so much, Peace of Mind for being there when no one else was.
- Our wonderful partner Light of Hope helping evacuate a family from Ukraine
This is Ksenia and her daughter, two Ukrainians from the Kupyan district in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine.
Since Russia launched the full-scale invasion, they were trapped inside due to constant shelling. Schools and hospitals were destroyed and they had no idea when this nightmare would end.
They needed to get out.
Thankfully our partner, Light of Hope, were able to help.
Since 1999, Light of Hope have been running shelters to support vulnerable communities in Ukraine, including HIV+ and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Light of Hope have done anything they can to support people affected by the war.
To help Ksenia and her family, the Light of Hope team were able to arrange for them to get on a free flight to Poland.
Ksenia and her family were able to get this flight and reach safety. Thank you so much Light of Hope, for making this possible.
- The incredible teachers at SAWA teaching children every day
This is Mariam Haifa, the 28 year old English teacher for our incredible partner SAWA, who support vulnerable Syrian children in their school in Lebanon.
Everyday, Mariam supports displaced children, providing them not just with an education but with a safe space for them to create happy memories.
Mariam said this about her work…
“Teaching is not only about letters or grammar rules, it is encouraging these students to always choose love in whatever life puts them through no matter where and with whom.”
Mariam loves her work, and puts so much effort everyday into supporting her students. She’s inspired so many young people with her teaching, including one of her students, who wants to be a teacher, just like Mariam!
It fills us with joy to hear these moments of our partners showing love with their work every single day.
Love isn’t just a feeling… Love is giving food to children who are going hungry. Love is getting families in danger to safety. Love is putting smiles on kids’ faces in a classroom. Love is reuniting a father with his family. Love is helping those in their worst moments.
For an extra special way to share the love this Valentine’s day, our Valentine’s Day Bundle includes: Nappies and Baby Essentials, Hot Food, Waterproof Tent and Emergency Housing, and comes with a virtual Valentine’s Day card sent directly to your loved one. What’s more, all of our Valentine’s Day Bundles will go directly to supporting those impacted by the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
Thank you to everyone showing the love this Valentine’s Day. ❤️
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