Join us on Twitter Thursday, Oct. 3 at noon ET for a live Twitter chat on the Syria crisis.
The Canadian Red Cross is hosting this chat to raise awareness about the humanitarian disaster. The conflict in Syria and the resulting massive refugee influx in the region is the most acute humanitarian crisis in the world today. There are 6.8 million people in need of aid, more than 2 million refugees and more than 4.25 million displaced within Syria as a result of the crisis.
All are welcome to join this chat - follow along with the hashtag #CRCSyria. (Here is a blog post with tips for engaging in Tweet chats.)
Two experts will be leading this chat, including Canadian Red Cross Director of International Emergency and Recovery, Hossam Elsharkawi (@elsharkawi) and Toronto Star foreign reporter Hamida Ghafour (@hamidaghafour).
Hossam Elsharkawi
Hossam Elsharkawi’s involvement in the humanitarian emergencies field has spanned 25 years and four continents. He has worked in over 30 countries, leading disaster response teams and/or setting up field hospitals in most international major disaster and conflict situations. Plans are currently in place to deploy members of the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Unit medical team to set up a field hospital in a new refugee camp that is slated to open this year in Jordan. The camp could provide shelter for up to 130,000 refugees. Hossam last visited Jordan and other countries affected by the Syrian conflict in the summer.
Hamida Ghafour
Toronto Star reporter Hamida Ghafour has lived and worked in the Middle East, Asia and Europe as a journalist for more than 10 years. She is author of a book on Afghanistan and has presented documentaries for British television. She has been covering the Syrian conflict extensively for the Toronto Star, and earlier this year, Hamida travelled to Jordan to cover the story of refugees. Her coverage included an in-depth look at the suffering of Syrian refugees, particularly of women and children.
Christine Pantazis
The Twitter Chat will be moderated by Digital Media Consultant Christine Pantazis (@cpantazis). Christine is a volunteer Canadian Red Cross Social Team ambassador and is a trained digital volunteer helping the Red Cross in times of disaster. Christine has seen the Red Cross Emergency Response Unit field hospital in action during a training exercise this year. She is also the co-host of the popular #RBchat, a weekly relationship-building Twitter chat which regularly yields upwards of 8.6 million impressions.
We want to hear from you
All are welcome to participate in this Twitter chat. The moderator will set the agenda for the chat by asking a series of questions from 12PM-1PM ET to Hossam and Hamida. Twitter users are encouraged to jump into the conversation and share your own comments or ask questions. To participate, you only need to sign into Twitter and follow the hashtag #CRCSyria. If you send a tweet on the subject, don’t forget to include the hashtag so everyone following the chat will see it.
Check out this infographic on the Red Cross in Syria.
Want to support those affected by the conflict? Donations to the Syria Crisis Fund can be made here.