Dear friends,
We look back on 2020 with great sadness for all the lives lost and anger at the failures of the international community to protect Syrians from bombs, COVID, and humanitarian catastrophe.
But I am also immensely proud of all we have achieved in spite of the huge challenges our partners and team have faced. Highlights of the year for me were watching Wafa Mustafa addressing the UN Security Council on behalf of her father and more than 100,000 other detainees, and projecting prison bars and the demands of families of the detainees directly onto the Syrian embassy in Berlin. A new campaign demanding answers about those kidnapped by ISIS was also significant because it put a spotlight on the plight of families, so far largely ignored by the international community.
When Idlib faced intense aerial attacks at the start of the year, we stood alongside Waad al-Kateab outside the UN in New York, to demand an end to the bombing. I am proud that we helped to amplify the voices of doctors in Idlib calling directly on the UN Secretary General Guterres to visit and urge a ceasefire.
Thanks to the creativity, tenacity and persistence of our team, the heroism of our partners, and the unending support of our supporters and donors, we look ahead to 2021 with optimism and many new plans.
With heartfelt thanks and in solidarity,
Laila Kiki