There’s no way I can truly imagine the misery, sadness and fear the Syrian refugee children are experiencing right now in camps all over Europe.  The conditions of no running water, piles of rubbish, ankle-deep mud…such squalor that aid workers say it’s on the brink of a sanitation crisis.  (just see some of the photos in the gallery below)

But we all have the power to do something. While it’s nowhere remotely close to what these children live with on a daily basis, I’m going to put myself through a grueling survival experience to help shine more light on this situation. And who better to turn to for ‘grueling survival experiences’ than Mr. Bear Grylls!  I’m putting any hesitancy (and more than a little nervousness) behind me and facing one of his toughest designed experiences in the UK.  On April 16^th, as part of Bear’s Survival Academy I will be dropped in the middle of Dartmoor National Park with no food, water or shelter.  The landscape can be harsh and unforgiving and has difficult terrain, which is why Britain’s elite Royal Marine Commandos train there.  There will be no safety net for 2 days.  I will have to learn emergency shelter builds, knife survival skills, foraging for food, improvised first aid and I rather not think about what else!

Again, this is NOTHING compared to being a 5-year-old waking up alone, muddy and tiny among the makeshift tents and chaos.  Know that some of these children are orphaned, who made the harrowing journey across Europe alone.  I simply cannot fathom the strength that must take for a small child.  My heart sinks. This is real.  This is now.

But my heart also knows we will eventually solve this situation and in the meantime, must do what we can short term.  Please support me on my survival challenge.  Even £10 or £20 donation from you will make a big difference.  Our donations will go directly to the ‘United in Laughter’ project through The Flying Seagull.  On April 1^st, a van will depart the UK to travel as far as Turkey for a full two months visiting camps all along the way.  This van will hold specialists that, as well as being professional performers, are specifically trained to work with children facing trauma.  The more we help fund this trip, the more children can be reached.  These children deserve all the laughter possible.  Thanks so much!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.