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The American Refugee Committee and QuestScope - Both with Offices in Minnesota - Work Together to Help Families Who Lost Their Homes in World's Largest Refugee Crisis

On Friday, the United Nations announced that the number of Syrian refugee children reached one million. This marks another milestone in a 2 ½ -year conflict that has taken the lives of more than 100,000 people and forced 2 million refugees from their homeland.

The Minnesota-based American Refugee Committee (ARC) and Questscope are joining to help. Questscope—which has offices in Amman, Jordan, and Minneapolis—is offering informal education and mentoring programs for at-risk children in Za’atari Camp, the largest refugee camp in Jordan which is now home to 130,000 refugees. Questscope has worked with at-risk youth in the region for more than 30 years. The ARC and Questscope teams are building programs to provide shelter, water and sanitation, violence prevention, and protection services to people who have fled their homes. They are also creating safe spaces for children.

“The refugee children with whom we work are at extreme risk,” said Dr. Curt Rhodes, Questscope’s Founder and International Director. “These children have witnessed the unimaginable. They have lost their homes and their childhoods. Their schooling has been disrupted. We are deeply concerned and are doing everything we can to help.”

“The fact that one million refugee children have fled their homes marks a very sad milestone,” added Daniel Wordsworth, President and CEO of the American Refugee Committee. “The scale of this crisis is overwhelming. We plan to continue providing assistance to people as long as we are needed.”

The United Nations estimates that more than 2 million refugees have fled Syria, and that three-quarters of the one million refugee children are under the age of 11. Another two million children have been forced from their homes and remain inside Syria.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN REFUGEE COMMITTEE:

American Refugee Committee programs are built from the ground up. We work with people at the most vulnerable points in their lives, when they have lost everything to war or disaster. They let us know what they need most, and we work together to develop ways to help them get it. Our programs are as diverse as the people we serve, but they all work together for the same goal: to help people take back control of their lives. We have worked with refugees around the world for more than 30 years, and our 2,000 staff members help nearly 2.5 million people a year throughout Africa and Asia. ARC is also building a 21st century humanitarian organization rooted in co-creating with committed people to provide more meaningful solutions to humanitarian crises worldwide. We are based in Minneapolis, MN. To learn more, visit www.ARCrelief.org .

ABOUT QUESTSCOPE:

Founded more than 30 years ago, Questscope works with individuals, communities, local organizations, and international partners to produce social, educational, and entrepreneurial opportunities for marginalized youth across the Middle East. Through facilitating collaboration between individuals, communities, and local/ national organizations Questscope has helped create programs that provide second-chance alternatives, enabling thousands of young men and women who had left school to continue their studies. Since its founding Questscope has implemented successful initiatives for thousands of disadvantaged youth, in partnership with UNICEF, UNESCO, the European Union, the World Bank and others. Questscope currently has programs in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, impacting over 200,000 people since 2002. Questscope is based in Amman, Jordan and has offices in Minneapolis, MN. To learn more, visit www.questscope.org.

Contact: Therese Gales, American Refugee Committee; 612-607-6494; 612-221-5161; ThereseG@archq.org