I lived in Syria (on and off) for 3 years and had the most amazing time.   In March 2011 Syrians began demonstrating in huge numbers for basic rights - for their freedom.   The government responded by kidnapping protesters, torturing them and murdering them.

People kept protesting in ever larger numbers.   The government started using snipers, tanks, artillery and now war planes and attack helicopters against them.   Though many thousands of Syrians are now fighting back (including soldiers who defected from the army rather than shoot at their fellow citizens), many tens of thousands of Syrians are still peacefully demonstrating every day.

The government regularly kidnaps and kills people who go to hospital - whether they were protesting or just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Hand in Hand for Syria smuggle volunteer doctors in to Syria to run clinics treating people who can't go to the government hospitals.   They send in food and medicines for the people living under seige.   They also provide aid to Syrians living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries.   They are a great charity!

Many Syrians are fasting (i.e. not eating or drinking anything) between dawn and dusk for the Islamic month of Ramadan (20th July - 17th August), and I'm doing the same.   I'm hoping you'll help me raise some money which will be used to buy food and medicines or contribute towards renovating a vehicle to use as an ambulance in the city of Homs - to replace the one destroyed by the government's artillery.