Blog by Laura Kerr
My names Laura and I am the new campaigns assistant in Oxfam Scotland. I’ve been campaigning with Oxfam for over 18 months now, having worked on Oxfam’s GROW campaign on land rights, climate change and food price spikes, campaigned for a legally binding Arms Trade Treaty (now being ratified at the UN) and called on world leaders to act on global hunger with the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign.
However, for the past few weeks and until the end of September I will be focusing on the most important campaign I have ever been involved in – the Love Syria campaign.
The conflict in Syria, which has been escalating over 2 years, has resulted in worst humanitarian crisis in over 20 years. 1.6 million people are now refugees in neighbouring countries, having had to flee from the conflict, with another 4.6 million people internally displaced and in need of aid in Syria.
This conflict needs to be resolved as quickly as possible to stop millions more people from suffering. That is why Oxfam is petitioning the UK Government to provide humanitarian assistance for the millions of people affected and also use its political influence at the UN to encourage peace talks to resolve the ongoing conflict.
So far this year, the campaigns team has already been at national music festivals to raise awareness of the campaign, and in the coming months we will be out and about all over Scotland, asking you to show some love for the people of Syria and sign our petition. Why not come along to one of the below events, show some love and sign our petition?
Join our Love Syria campaign at the following events:
Saturday 3rd August – 9:30am – 1:30pm, Portobello Market, Edinburgh
12noon – 3pm, High Street, Inverness
Thursday 8th August – 2:30am -7:30pm Stockbridge Farmers Market, Edinburgh
Friday 9th August – 12pm-4pm, Oxfam DIY Shop, Byres Road, Glasgow
Sunday 11th August – 12noon-7pm, Hungama Festival, Strathclyde Country Park
– 12noon-7pm, Hungama Festival, Strathclyde Country Park
Friday 16th August – 12pm-3pm, Oxfam Shop, Morningside Road, Glasgow
Saturday 17th August – We’ll be out and about in Glasgow – look out on social media for more details coming soon!
Sunday 18th August – 10am-3pm, Loch Lomond Shores Farmers Market,
22-25th August – Doune the Rabbit Hole, Cardross Estate, near Lake of Menteith, Stirlingshire
Friday 30th August – 12pm-4pm, Oxfam Bookshop, Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow
Saturday 31st August – 10am-2pm, Mansfield Park Farmers Market, Partick, Glasgow
Saturday 7th September – 10am-5pm, The Fair Trade Festival, Perth.
We have more events planned for September so look out for updates on our events page. If you would like to host an event yourself or would me to attend an event you have planned please get in touch with me.
If you would like to show some love for Syria but can’t make it along to one of our events, why not sign our petition online?