The screams pierced the everyday noise of a normal school day. But for Mayss it was a day unlike any other: a life or death moment stood ahead of her…

“Where is the Christian?”

It was a normal day for Mayss, a Christian teacher in a largely Muslim area in Hassakeh, Syria. Then everyone started running around the school compound, as Daesh (Islamic State) gunmen were upon them. “Where’s the Christian? Where’s the Christian?” they demanded. At once Mayss’ supervisor, a Muslim family friend, hid her and told the gunmen, “No, there’s no Christian here.”

He saved Mayss’ life in that moment. He told her to leave the school and never come back.

She knew she’d never be safe if she did.

They had hopes, dreams and normal lives, but they lost everything

For Mayss’ family their ordeal didn’t stop there.

Her father managed a construction company. One day on his way from work an armed group abducted him and told him that unless he gave them protection money, they would come back to get him and his family. And that wasn’t the only time the family stood face to face with an armed group. One day they were travelling on a bus that was stopped by armed men. They were looking for Alawites, which is the sect President Assad belongs to. Those people were rounded up and led off to be killed.

Mayss and her family knew they had to leave. They had homes, hopes and dreams, but suddenly they lost everything. Today Mayss and her parents are living in a one-bedroom apartment in Lebanon and they barely have enough money to cover their rent each month.

They’ve been waiting almost 18 months for resettlement, but with each passing week, their hope of a new future gets dimmer.

The biggest refugee and displacement crisis of our time

According to the latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency, almost five million Syrians have been forced to flee during the time that conflict has ravaged the country. Another six million have been displaced internally. Recently UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement describing the plight of Syrian refugees as “the biggest refugee crisis of our time”. He said that more needs to be done to provide resettlement and other answers to the plight of Syrian refugees.

Real Change for Refugees: Tackle the crisis at its root

At CSW we long to see an end to the suffering of the Syrian people. It’s essential that the immediate needs of providing sufficient food and shelter for refugees are met, but it’s not enough. We are committed to addressing the crisis at its root. The best way to offer hope and change to Syrians is ending the conflict. But in the case of a nation torn apart by civil war for five years, a solution is no easy task, especially when all previous attempts have failed. For the first time in five years, a fragile ceasefire appears to be largely holding, but many Syrians remain uncertain about the next step forward.

We believe the first, critical steps in bringing lasting change to Syria are: a UN investigation into genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, and an appropriate response; and a UN presence on the ground in the form of a stabilisation force which would freeze the frontlines, enabling the conciliation process to begin.

There’s a long and complex journey in front of us, but we believe that the transformational power of God and international action are a powerful combination that will restore hope to Syria.

Together, we can bring real change for Syrian refugees.

Join CSW’s calls for the UN to Investigate evidence of genocide in Syria and tackle the crisis at the roots www.csw.org.uk/realchange