Rosebud group plans immediate and long-term support for Syrians

Laureen F. Guenther
Times Contributor

 

A Rosebud group is responding to the crisis in Syria with a plan to fundraise for Syrian civilian relief and support for groups that are sponsoring refugees.
The group’s primary emphasis is on raising funds they’ll channel through the relief agency Medair, said Gregg Monteith, a member of the group called Rosebud for Syria. They’re emphasizing relief, he said, because relief helps a large number of people immediately.
Relief has the additional benefit of stabilizing troubled regions, Monteith said. In Syria, the government is now bombing civilian areas controlled by rebels, but the extremists are mobile enough to scatter when they see bombers coming. So civilians are the ones most terrorized and devastated by the bombs.
“Out of that instability, people are going to the I.S. (Islamic State),” Monteith said, because IS recruits doctors and other helping professionals.
“I.S. is saying, ‘Come to us. We’ll help you.’ And so you’re having Muslims who would not normally be radicalized or converted to extremism, saying, ‘They may be extremists, but these are the only ones who are helping our kids.'”
That’s exactly the kind of instability extremists want to foster, he said.
However, visible, demonstrated relief from outside agencies can give Syrian civilians somewhere else to go for help.
“If we start supporting efforts in Jordan, then people can look to Jordan, and can say, ‘we can go there. This is a safe place for us,'” Monteith said. “It’s also helping against the destabilization in the area that makes radical groups like I.S. look … like they’re the only option.”
Medair works in isolated, unstable regions where other agencies do not go, Monteith said. Because Medair has a proven track record, its teams can be in place to start work immediately after a crisis. Perhaps most importantly, because it has a Grade A rating, private donations to Medair are matched multiple times.
“All the major sponsors – like the US government, the Canadian government, the UN, the EU, various countries – are pouring money into this place (Syria), but they’re not just giving it to anybody. It’s the ‘Grade A’ people who are winning these, because they’ve got the experience. They’re trusted,” Monteith said. “The potential for a dollar that we contribute to Medair is incredibly high because it will turn into four or five more dollars. Instead of just being doubled, it’s quadrupled or quintupled.”
The members of Rosebud for Syria also believe in refugee sponsorship, Monteith said. They’re partnering with other groups, like Hope for Syria in Strathmore, to sponsor refugee families in larger centers that offer good employment and housing opportunities.
Rosebud for Syria is planning one or more fundraising events in Rosebud and Drumheller, in early November. Events will include drama and music, and will provide information about the needs in Syria and the group’s planned response. Monteith said they also hope to schedule a Skype conversation with Ben Paine, Medair’s International Relations Manager, who’ll be in Jordan where Medair is already working.
For more information about Rosebud for Syria’s events, or to contact Gregg Monteith, see the Facebook page, Rosebud for Syria.