Dear Friend,

I want to tell you about my recent trip to Jordan, where I visited with a few of the thousands of http://click.newsletter.worldvision.org/?qs=8cbd1004375 b7760c971205405dddb2244dcc7041da95cfe859084addb5db9072a5c4b6 d1e2556bb - Syrian refugee families and children . While there, I heard stories of heartbreak and desperation — stories that you would never imagine coming from children.

When 7-year-old Rahma shared her story, she sounded aged beyond her years from her experiences.

"Should I start talking about my country or speak of the children of my beloved country, Syria? Should I start with the children who were killed and slaughtered? Or should I talk about the children who were tortured in the meanest of ways? Should I talk about our home that burned down or speak of my room, my toys, or my notebooks?"

Many children like Rahma have not only been forced to flee from their homes; they also lost loved ones and belongings along the way, robbing them of their childhoods. This is why Rahma ended her story with a simple plea: "Please give us our rights to be children."

http://click.newsletter.worldvision.org/?qs=8cbd1004375 b7760c425160a219beac866872d8b79ac860e8bd7986d1f5912cfed9b7b7 8b21e1d95 - You have the power to help answer that plea.

Another little girl, Haya, 10 (pictured above), said, "We fear you are forgetting us." A statement like that is impossible to ignore.

Haya is desperate to be heard. "I am talking on behalf of Syrian children, calling on you, the people of the other world," she said. "Have you ever thought of Syria? Have you ever thought of the children of Syria? My country Syria?"

http://click.newsletter.worldvision.org/?qs=8cbd1004375 b7760a05f32630dc3129c411bdcdef46aa71d9095073644657e25cf13597 765a80407 - Together, we can show Syrian refugee children like Rahma and Haya that they are not forgotten.

The girls shared with me how each longed to return to their families and piece back together their shattered lives. After losing their way of life back in Syria, the girls said the World Vision-funded school is the only positive experience they have now. So I handed each child a World Vision backpack filled with supplies they need for their studies.

I asked Haya what her favorite item was inside the backpack, and it was more than the pens and papers. "The blanket," she told me. "Winter is coming. It is my first and only one. It will keep me warm."

As a harsh winter approaches, http://click.newsletter.worldvision.org/?qs=8cbd1004375 b7760e2ff26e804a2642599b97ab9c63b05b94267872d99f158c61303542 04c8e4765 - you can help supply warm blankets to children like Haya, as well as food vouchers, basic hygiene kits, clean water, and more .

The crisis in Syria continues to escalate: and your support is needed more than ever.

http://click.newsletter.worldvision.org/?qs=8cbd1004375 b776069a225c13caa3bc39bec80a3bf23aa698c82ca9e8ac65b60016f13e efedcc456">

God bless you,


Rich Stearns
President, World Vision U.S.

P.S. Please pray for those impacted by the conflict and devastation in Syria, and http://click.newsletter.worldvision.org/?qs=8cbd1004375 b7760a58416f969b3c1ab8cecb2ab6f6e2266346cc121d8246453a1bce91 e925735e3 - give a gift to help refugee children like Rahma and Haya today.