When both of your parents survived a genocide, your heart almost stops beating when you see headlines that scream, "Srebrenica Part II: Aleppo" or "The World Watched and Did Nothing." Srebrenica was the worst act of ethnic cleansing since the Holocaust, and it was one of the biggest failures against mankind. To learn more about Srebrenica, you can read the article I wrote in honor of the anniversary back in July here.
The siege in Aleppo, Syria is a repeat of what happened in Bosnia and Herzegovina over 20 years ago. Water, food and electricity shortages have left the citizens of Aleppo trapped, begging for help when all they can do is sit back and pray that a bomb doesn't hit their house. All while we sit behind our phone and computer screens, retweeting horrible pictures of the crisis, feeling a pang of guilt for a few minutes and then going back to living our normal lives.
There is no doubt that social media has helped spread coverage of the crisis, but what are we actually doing to help? Going on and talking about how sorry we feel for the victims can only go so far. We might as well just sit and cry together, but that won't accomplish anything. This week, the citizens of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital, took to the streets to proclaim their solidarity for Aleppo. These people witnessed similar horrors and understand exactly what the people in Aleppo are going through.
It all almost goes back to the fact that we may never truly understand something until we have actually experienced it ourselves. Will we never truly understand or can we at least attempt to understand? Does the Western part of the world need to experience a genocide in order for them to finally do something? I certainly hope not! Or is it just our political leaders who are so worried about the reputation of our country?
Will faith in humanity ever be restored? What are YOU doing to help the citizens of Aleppo? I want you to take a step out of the little bubble that is your life and think about your social responsibility to humanity. What can we actually do?
To help the citizens of Aleppo, click here to donate to the International Rescue Committee.
