Organisations in Edinburgh, led by Mercy Corp, are calling on more to be done to help Syrians five years on from the outbreak of civil war

Scotland needs to pay more attention to Syria a group of organisations based in Edinburgh has blasted.

Edinburgh Cares, Edinburgh Churches for Sanctuary, Edinburgh Refugee Aid and World Mission Committee of Edinburgh Presbytery, led by global humanitarian organisation Mercy Corps are jointly reminding people of the suffering of people still in Syria and those who have been forced to flee.

Five years on from the beginning of the Syrian civil war United Nations figures identify 4.7 million Syrians having fled to neighbouring countries as refugees, and more than 13.5 million remaining in need of help inside the country.

Mercy Corps is the leading member of the Edinburgh Disasters Response Committee (EDRC) and has helped more than 6.5million people with food, shelter and emergency support.

Now is not the time to give up or become complacent

Its humanitarian response stretches from inside Syria to Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Greece and The Balkans.

Simon O’Connell, Mercy Corps Europe’s executive director, called for people to again show compassion and generosity to provide renewed hope for the Syrian people wherever they may be – inside Syria, the Middle East region and in Europe.

“Now is not the time to give up or become complacent,” he said.

“Five years into the Syrian civil war, the people of Syria, whether struggling to find safety inside their own country or those who have taken refuge in other countries, need our help to survive and rebuild their lives.

“We ask everyone to do what they can to support the biggest humanitarian emergency of our time.”

Meanwhile, Edinburgh Churches for Sanctuary, which is a network of churches across Edinburgh working together to welcome those arriving in the city fleeing the Syrian crisis, is inviting people to write a message of welcome to those arriving in Scotland.