Jessica Mbelu
Staff Writer
Joseph A. Foran students participate in an after school World Culture Club, which is a club that studies the different cultures of the world. It is participating in a fundraiser in order to help the children of Syria. Club meetings are after school every other Friday in Mrs. Sheppard’s class.
The World Culture club studies aspects of different cultures around the world such as food, art, dialect, language, clothing, etc. Mrs. Sheppard says, “We believe it is important for students to learn about the different cultures in the world because when we learn about cultures we understand them more which helps bring peace in the world.”
The club shines a light on certain war-torn parts of the world and how it affects the lives of the people living there. The club is trying to raise awareness of what is happening in Syria right now and specifically the harsh conditions the children of this country are currently enduring.
According to a powerpoint created by a student in the world culture club Navneet Kaur, “More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives in four-and-a-half years of armed conflict, which began with anti-government protests before escalating into a full-scale civil war. More than 11 million others have been forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other – as well as jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State.” The sparking of a civil war has caused Many Syrians to be forced to vacate their homes while many others are killed due to the conflict.
“The UN Security Council has demanded all parties end the indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas, but civilians continue to die in their thousands. Many have been killed by barrel bombs dropped by government aircraft on gatherings in rebel-held areas – attacks which the UN says may constitute massacres.”
It is very important to raise awareness for the children of parents who may have been killed due to the fray of war, and other families dealing with the hardships. “We plan on teaming up with other clubs like the Giving Back Club to raise money for the children in Syria,” says freshman Lucas Burgard, co-president of the club. “We wanted to start a fundraiser called ‘Shoes for Syria’ it doesn’t have to just be shoes, it can be other things like clothing. A lot of the refugees are living in really cold places and do not have the proper clothes to protect them from harsh weather,” says freshman and other co-president, Vaishnavi Bulusu.
