Syrian refugees whom many lost all their savings and properties need our help to survive and to provide their children with adequate food, safe shelter, healthy environment, and education! The crisis of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon is very critical and requires a lot of interventions and help from many International and national NGOs to bring some form of peace and healing to these refugees who have lost and suffered a lot in the last 4 years.

Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, 320,000 people have been killed, including nearly 12,000 children. About 1.5 million people have been wounded or permanently disabled, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Syrian children have lost loved ones, suffered injuries, missed years of schooling, and witnessed violence and brutality. As an outcome, many of these children suffer from psychological problems, and are now traumatized. Thus, these children require psycho-social support, and child friendly spaces where they can play, go to school and live a normal life. Today, according to the UN children's agency, there are about 3 million school-aged Syrian children not attending school. This is yet another reason of why we need to help Syrian refugees in general, and Syrian children in particular.

Many Syrian refugees live in tents or in dangerous shelter where restrooms are not available within the structure, where it is very humid and where the infrastructure is not stable or there are missing windows or doors. Living in such environment would make children catch serious illnesses including diarrheal diseases like cholera.

Many refugee children have to work to support their families. Often they labor in dangerous or demeaning circumstances for little pay. In addition, many girls as young as 13 years old are forced to marriage for economic reasons. In Lebanon, it is estimated that about 20% of female youth aged 14-18 years are being married. According to WHO, pregnancy at this young age is the second cause of death of these girls. These girls need us to intervene to stop this from happening to them at such young age. Moreover, getting married at such young age deprives these girls to grow up in a healthy way.

Children are highly vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse, and to exploitation in unfamiliar and overcrowded conditions. Refugees and NGOs report that sexual abuses are frequent against Syrian children, especially in tented settlements. We need to be more conscious that these molestation and harsh acts are happening to the Syrian children, thus we need to bring awareness and to help in protecting these children in whatever possible way.

That's why I will be running the Berlin Half Marathon on April 3, 2016. Mainly I will be running with the World Vision Running Team for the Syrian children in Lebanon, for access to clean water and waste disposal, for education and child protection.

I would greatly appreciate if you could help me in my fundraising efforts by making a donation to World Vision Deutschland e.V. or bringing awareness around my fundraising efforts. There are no small donations. Donations are processed through Alvarum. It is very easy and 100% secure. Thank you for your help!

Tarek Dib