Jasmine, Essam and Anna live in a war ravaged area of Aleppo Syria with their mom Abeer and dad Ahmed. (Their names have been changed for their safety.)

They have no heat, little food and worry for their lives every day. Bullets have shattered their windows, bombs have exploded nearby and people have been murdered in front of their home. They haven't been able to work for over a year and the children can't go to school. Their city is at the epicenter of the violence that has killed more than 40,000 Syrians since the civil war began nearly 2 years ago.

We are asking for your help in providing them with food, shelter and medicine. Our hope is that we can raise enough money to keep them fed, safe and healthy until the civil war ends or help them move someplace safe.

I visited Syria three years ago and wrote about the journey in a book titled Rowed Trip: From Scotland to Syria by Oar. I was so taken by the country and the people that it inspired another book idea, and I planned to return to Syria with my husband and infant son to research the history of the olive tree. But by then the civil war had taken hold of the country and I couldn't. Since then this war has claimed tens of thousands of innocent lives and ruined millions. Through this project we hope to rescue one family from the daily atrocities and give their children a future of hope and opportunity.

Thank you for taking the time to read about this fundraising project and for caring about Syrians. And if you would like to donate to this cause, we thank you again.