Christian Aid is urging people in the UK to support their Christmas Appeal and help ‘Light the Way’ for millions of people fleeing conflict and violence this Christmas.

As Christians around the world join together to celebrate the birth of Jesus, for the 65 million people who are escaping danger and insecurity, the comfort of home is ‘a distant memory’, says Christian Aid.

The charity is urging people to support its Christmas Appeal this festive season, so that it can continue to provide critical support to some of the millions of people worldwide who have been forced to leave their homes through fear and uncertainty in the worst global displacement crisis of our time.

Working with refugees and displaced people is nothing new for the international aid agency, which was founded 70 years ago to support refugees in the wake of the Second World War, and continues to support those searching for safety today, including people from war-torn nations such as Syria and Iraq.

These conflicts have driven millions of ordinary people from their homes, many risking their lives in a bid to give their families a more secure life in a safer place.

Yet it is not just Syrians and Iraqis who have been forced to flee.  Ongoing violence and instability in South Sudan, DRC, Afghanistan and Nigeria – among others – have resulted in the huge scale movement of desperate people.  Most stay within their own country or are hosted in neighbouring countries, and a small percentage are seeking safety in Europe.

Loretta Minghella, Chief Executive of Christian Aid, said: “As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas time, we’re calling out to people across the UK to remember the millions of children, mothers and fathers currently fleeing from conflict, who are less fortunate than ourselves – those who are lonely, desperate and without their family by their side.

“We may never be touched by the same desperation or fear of violence. But the same sun warms us, the same stars guide us, and the same light can bring us each out of darkness.

“Through our local partner organisations, Christian Aid is working in war-torn countries, as well as in Europe, to provide vital support to those forced out of their homes.

“This Christmas, another human being needs a beacon of hope. You can be the one to light the way towards a brighter future.”

Just £5 could give an essential set of clothes to a person fleeing violence, £11 could supply a week’s worth of hygiene essentials to a family of five in Serbia, and £50 could provide seeds and tools to help a family forced out of their home in the DRC to grow food to feed themselves.

For information, or to donate to the Christmas Appeal, visit www.christianaid.org.uk/Christmas

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