European Refugee Crisis: How To Help
Hundreds of thousands have required aid in fleeing Syria.
— -- For those who are interested in helping during the European refugee crisis, Doctors Without Borders, the International Rescue Committee and the United Nations are among the groups providing aid to the displaced.
Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders, has been providing help for months to refugees who have fled Syria for months.
A spokesman for the organization confirmed to ABC News that they have been helping with rescues in the Mediterranean Sea since May, assisting almost 15,000 people in roughly four months.
They've also been providing medical care to people along the land routes from Greece through the rest of Europe.
The International Rescue Committee has been helping refugees in Greece by working on processing and evacuating the individuals as they pass through the Greek island of Lesbos.
The group has been focusing on providing clean water and safe sanitation methods in the Kara Tempe refugee camp on the island and informing new arrivals of their legal rights, according to the charity's website.
"What [refugees are] most angry about is that they get absolutely no information about the registration process and how they can get off the island quickly," IRC emergency field director Kirk Day said in a post on the charity's blog. "We have found that by providing access to that information, we’re gaining the population’s trust."
UNICEF is focusing on providing aid for the millions of children affected by the crisis.
That aid includes counseling, food, water and educational materials for the many who are missing school during this crisis.
A spokeswoman for UNICEF confirmed to ABC News that they have been helping refugee families in Serbia and Macedonia, setting up safe places for children to play and rest there.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been providing humanitarian aid for Syrian refugees in the form of basic necessities like cash for medicine, stoves and fuel to heat their tents and warm clothing, according to the group's website.
Synthetic sleeping mats, tents and thermal fleece blankets are among the items that the UNHCR is providing to refugees.
"The selfless generosity of private citizens and civil society organizations reaching out to welcome and help the new arrivals is truly inspiring," UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said in a release on Sept. 4, though he went on to say that Europe must determine the long-term response.
Here are links to each of the organizations:
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