Personal column CEO: Silent

Written by: Agnes Kroese, CEO of Dorcas

Perhaps you have seen it: our campaign for safe shelter in Lebanon. Our local colleagues are working hard to support displaced people fleeing the conflict, providing them with shelter and basic necessities.

We are receiving responses to the campaign. Some are negative, questioning why we are not offering assistance to people in Israel. We engage in conversation with these individuals, and fortunately, we receive understanding when we explain. We also get many positive responses and donations, for which we are very grateful.

However, we have noticed that it is relatively silent. Even though Lebanon is in the news. Dutch news site NOS headlines that almost half a million people are now on the run. Half a million people! But it seems like it has not got through to us. That it is not affecting us. We are not receiving the response we are used to for a campaign like this.

It is understandable. When we talk about the situation in the Middle East, and particularly in Lebanon at this moment, we are also talking about Israel. Opinions, even within the Christian community in the Netherlands, are sharply divided on this issue. This makes it a difficult, sensitive, and emotional topic at times. And on top of that, we are confronted with so much violence and suffering on a daily basis. All over the world there are people in need, nearby and far away.

It is overwhelming. So much to take in, to have an opinion on, and to be touched by. Right or wrong, it is sometimes very complex. However, that is not the point I want to make. What is most important to me, and to Dorcas, is that we want to be there for people in need. Impartial and regardless of one’s background. I want to invite you to join us.

I would like to ask you to be mindful on your fellow human beings in need. Like those in Lebanon right now. People, just like you and me. Notice the scared child in her pyjamas. She was woken up early and has already been stuck in traffic all day. The mother, near despair, because she has already lived through war. The grandfather, praying that his grandchildren will remain safe. This images, those stories about people in fear and need—these leave me speechless and silent.

26 September 2024