Henry said she was hoping to raise RM50,000 and urged the public to donate.
“We want to rally Malaysians to give and donate in the spirit of giving and love this month,” she said at a press conference in Publika here today.
“The money will go towards hygiene, sanitation, food, supplies and an improved environment for children to grow safely and healthily,” she said.
Henry, who is also the co-founder of Fugee School, added that the funds would support Syrian children and families living in Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, as according to the United Nations (UN), tented communities there are currently housing more than 300,000 refugees.
“There are nearly 60 million refugees all over the world now. That’s twice the population of Malaysia. And now with the Syrian crisis, we have over two million children who are out of school. They have had to go through everything that no child has to go through.
“These children and families have lost their homes and lives as they knew it, many through no fault of their own. They once led lives like us, had jobs and businesses and families to return to each day. These have all been taken away and are but distant memories.
“No one chooses to be a refugee,” she said.
Henry, who first visited Lebanon in 2013, said she would be returning on July 12 to hand over the donations to the refugees.
“The Syrian crisis is in its sixth year now and almost half a million people have perished in this civil war.”
“But let’s keep it simple, we are here today for the kids. If we don’t do something, nobody will and these kids will continue to suffer and have nothing to hold on to.”
Today is also World Refugee Day, which is observed on June 20 every year in solidarity with millions of refugees who have fled their home countries in search of a safer place.
The unrest in Syria was sparked by the Government’s violent crackdown against dissidents as part of the Arab Spring in 2011.
The civil war has now became a multi-sided conflict as other militants, religious and ethnic groups are rebelling against the government. Approximately 11 million Syrians have been displaced as a result.
Malaysians can donate towards Henry’s cause at bit.ly/WVM-Deborah4Syria, which can be found at World Vision Malaysia’s official website, under “Deborah Henry’s Fundraiser for Syrian Refugees”.