The Guardian and Observer’s refugee charity appeal has been an astonishing success: we have – thanks to you, our readers – raised over £700,000 in under three weeks. There are still four weeks to go.
To understand why the appeal has struck such a powerful chord we asked those who gave to the appeal online to tell us why they had donated so generously. Here we publish some of those messages of support.
Some told us that giving in support of refugees is an expression of empathy and solidarity, a moral imperative in the face of an overwhelming humanitarian crisis, a political statement, and a stand for tolerance and against cynicism.
Many donors understood intimately the refugee experience: they themselves had had to flee their homes to escape violence and oppression, or had refugee parents and grandparents. They were thankful for the chance of a fresh start and keen to give back.
Ultimately, supporting the refugee appeal was for many a way of standing up to be counted: as one reader put it, giving money is “the least we can do for our fellow human beings”.
Readers’ messages
This appeal touched a core part of me that wanted to do something to show support. I am too old to do practical things, too far away to help at any centres, so a small donation was my way of standing up and being counted. Pam Powell
We cannot stand by and watch this humanitarian crisis unfold from our very privileged lives in a rich country such as the UK. A charitable donation is the least we can do to help our fellow human beings. Pat Ackred
Saw the appeal in the paper this morning/ Felt the chill in the wind this afternoon/ Winter fuel payment just arrived/ Lightbulb moment. Julian Fuller
In 1945 my mother was a 20-year-old refugee, having fled her homeland in Ukraine in the face of Red Army retribution. She was given sanctuary in Britain along with many other displaced eastern Europeans. My mother died this year aged 91. My good fortune was my mother was given refuge by the civilised humanity of Britain. Long may we continue to be renowned for this virtue. Stephen Millett
Refugees are people, kind and cruel, shy and aggressive, young and old, just like the people I know, just like those of any other nation or religion in history. I have more than I need to survive. I deserve to be safe, to be warm, to be fed. So do they. Virginia Sutherland
I donated because I want to stand in solidarity in some small way with the refugees, and with that half of our population who are compassionate towards their plight. At the same time I want to put as much distance as possible between myself and [those] who seem to have lost touch with their humanity over this issue. Jane Morris
Recently seen in east Germany: banners hung outside universities quoting Goethe. I believe the loose translation is, ‘A country that fails to welcome strangers will go under’. Also, Woodrow Wilson said, ‘We are citizens of the world. The tragedy of our times is that we do not know that’. Anne
I hope that by giving this donation we reveal to ourselves just how much we do care, how much we differ from our government … that it is vital for us to act on our humanity, to extend love, compassion, care and support for all those on whom our government has turned its back, and beyond. Sarah Cameron
Who can ignore the pictures? Who can forget the dead child, Alan Kurdi, found on the beach? It is for governments to act but maybe we can help a little. My wife and I have donated the equivalent of our pension heating allowance because we know we will be warm this winter. Rhys Harrison
I donated because I have many Syrian friends who have recently become refugees and I know their difficult stories. Bronwen Griffiths
I am not a political activist, I am not a leader or member of any group or someone who has strong views on any particular direction. I am, however, human. I read the article by Suzanne Moore on the charity aiming to get medical aid into the French camps. I am moved to tears. Glenda Stansbury
We have donated because we feel helpless in view of the government’s appalling reaction to the refugee crisis, it makes us ashamed to be British. We need to show solidarity with the refugees and this is the only way we feel able to help. Joy and Chas Stephenson
I lived for two years with a Syrian family in Damascus in the 1990s while learning Arabic. I was welcomed so warmly into the family, the community and by all those I encountered. The warmest, nicest people I have ever met … It is my greatest hope that out of the suffering that so many have, and are, experiencing, that some of them at least will experience the warmth of welcome and sense of community in the UK that was given so generously to me there. Eilidh Hamilton
I volunteer one and a half days weekly for my local British Red Cross Refugee Support. I have seen too often the misery that being far from home, sometimes destitute and often feeling helpless can cause. Your appeal will provide much-appreciated and -needed money to the charities you are supporting. Jane Hogg
I am moved to tears daily with all the stories. I visited Syria in 2006 and left my heart there with the warmth and the generosity of its people and all the beauty. I am only giving a little bit back of what I was enriched with. Patricia Borges
We have just had a beautiful baby granddaughter and, when we look at her, we cannot imagine what it would be like to be without sufficient food, clothes and shelter to provide her with the protection she needs but appreciate that this is the plight of many refugee families. We do hope together we can make a difference to the lives of these people who have lost so much. G Brown
My parents were both young refugees in the UK from Nazi Germany. Nicola Cousins
Why did I contribute? Because we just can’t turn a blind eye to this humanitarian crisis. Because I’m embarrassed by a government that isn’t doing enough to help but is doing entirely the opposite by wasting money in a senseless war. Because as a mother I can’t begin to imagine how utterly devastating it must be to leave your home behind and risk it all, just wishing for your children to be able to live a life they deserve. Because I would like these courageous people to know that whatever they’ve been through to escape isn’t pointless, that there is hope! Adriana
I have donated my winter fuel allowance because I feel ashamed by this government’s response to the refugee crisis in Europe. JW
I arrived in the UK as a babe in arms with my mum and dad when they were evacuated from Egypt during the Suez crisis in December 1956 with the rest of the family, including my elderly grandparents. They didn’t speak English, had no winter clothing, no money. We were lucky. The British people took us under their wing, housed us in a room in an old RAF camp and offered my father work. A skilled electrician, he rebuilt our lives. Over the years, my parents became strong contributors to their community, paying their taxes, employing and teaching, raising funds for charities and passing on their humanity to us, their daughters and our families. They have contributed so much more than they had received. Thank you for the appeal. I hope that you can make some difference to the refugees and give them some hope of a fresh start. Sabrina Chetcuti
I’m donating to the Guardian refugee appeal because I’m horrified that the bombing of Syria will mean even more desperate people fleeing for safety and in need of help. We cannot stand by while hundreds of thousands of people face oncoming winter with so little help and support. Fran
The plight of the refugees throughout the world has brought home to me just how much we, in the west, take for granted. By donating to the We Stand Together appeal I hope my humble contribution will go some way to restoring dignity and hope to these brave and stoic people and then to sort out their future. Gill Smith
I don’t earn much in New Zealand, but I have a home. I have my son, my partner – they are reading in our big comfy bed as I weep quietly and secretly donate some of the few pounds left. I am so lucky. But for how long? I donate what I can afford for those people in this story and for humanity as a whole; for dignity, for love, out of fear that it might be my son one day. Catherine Langford
It’s heartbreaking reading about the nightmare Syrian refugees are facing, we can’t stand by and do nothing. They need our help NOW more than ever. Compassion and kindness in action. Thank you, Guardian charity appeal. Dorrett Lomas
