Societies join forces for Syria

Warwick University’s Oxfam and Amnesty societies combined in week nine to form Oxfamnesty to discuss and raise money and awareness for Syria. The UN estimates that 100,000 people have been killed in the midst of political violence in Syria, with two million refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries. One million of those refugees are children, three quarters of whom are under eleven years old. Oxfam and Amnesty at Warwick felt compelled to pool their resources in five days of action last week, as part of a campaign titled “Love Syria.” The week began with a live Big Band performance in the piazza on Monday for an hour and a half, while the Tuesday was marked by a day of campaigning outside the Students’ Union. More action came in the following three days, with meetings between the two groups, a film screening and a stall at the Grand Union Night Market on Clemens Street in Leamington to raise funds to aid Syrian refugees. Oxfamnesty members also handed out quizzes from their position at the Night Market, containing questions on everything from the Syrian capital to the number of refugees there are in the country.