In Mafraq City in northern Jordan, children and young people lit candles to show their solidarity with the people of Syria. Their vigil was organized by Oxfam’s partner, human rights organization ARDD-Legal Aid, as part of a Global Vigil for Syria to mark the two year anniversary of the conflict. Vigils in 20 countries around the world remembered more than 70,000 Syrians who lost their lives and showed their support for more than one million who have fled their homes and rely on humanitarian assistance from organizations like Oxfam for survival. Their message was one of hope that Syria will be a country of peace and safe haven where their citizens can soon return.

Oxfam’s Areeg Hegazi remembers a vigil in Moustafe Mahmoud Square in Egypt:

“As it was nearing dawn, we started to light up the candles, some of the young men and women started forming the letters ‘Syria’ in Arabic on the floor.  Syrians in the vigil were touched with the numbers of Egyptians there – and by the opportunity to mark the anniversary while they were so far away from home.  As people drove past the vigil, they shared messages of encouragement, ‘inshallaah this would be over soon’ and ‘you’ll go back and reconstruct everything again.'”

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