Talk of how to give relief in regards to Europe's growing refugee crisis heightened last week after a photo of a drowned 3-year-old boy grabbed attention on social media, according to USA Today.
My colleague Herb Scribner reported the picture surfaced online Wednesday morning. The boy, 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, was a passenger on a boat that capsized while traveling from a Turkish beach resort to a Greek island, according to the Wall Street Journal.
That boy wasn't alone in his migrant voyage. Lindsay Deutsch of USA Today reported more than 2,500 refugees and migrants have died or gone missing this year.
The picture of Aylan compounded with startling statistics have sparked "international outcry," she wrote.
Debate continues in various European countries in regards to assisting migrants. For Americans, helping positively in the foreign crisis might seem difficult, according to Heather Dockray of Good magazine.
"Many Americans, most of whom live thousands of miles away from the region, want to know what they can do to ameliorate a crisis that feels simultaneously geographically far but emotionally intimate," Dockray wrote. "After all, some of these migrants are coming from Iraq and Afghanistan regions and conflicts that our government had a huge hand in shaping, and sometimes, catalyzing."
However, those wanting to contribute to the cause have practical options, some of which we've listed below.
Donate money, clothes or goods
Tessa Benson of Time reported people can donate money or supplies and the options there are plentiful.
Well-known organizations like UNICEF and Red Cross aim to help refugees through donations. Some groups started to specifically address the migrant crisis, including Migrant Offshore Aid Station and Aylan Kurdi Fund, Benson wrote.
Dockray reported directly donating supplies might appeal to some. For example, Amazon has a registry that provides migrants with resources.
According to Time, donating supplies directly allows people to assist refugees in specific ways.
"Some organizations are looking for very specific types of donations The Jungle Library is a makeshift library set up at the migrant camp in Calais, and its looking for books," Benson wrote. "Music Against Borders is seeking musical instruments for the camp at Calais."
Follow grass-root groups' efforts
Grass-roots fundraising efforts have received more than 2,500 donations from 32 countries to address the refugee crisis, Victoria Richards of The Independent wrote.
And there's no shortage of organizations with unique approaches to bringing change, Richards wrote.
The Worldwide Tribe is a Facebook blog documenting stories of refugees that's also connected to a crowdfunding site. Similarly, teenager Tom McElholm, whose experience is chronicled here, is driving to areas with groups of migrants to provide them with supplies.
Ultimately, making monetary contributions to the cause helps, but at least acknowledging these groups' work will help people become informed, according to Dockray of Good magazine.
"Read the right facts, learn the right facts, then, when you get the right opportunity share them," she wrote.
Spread awareness on social media
Much of activism in regards to the crisis takes place on digital screens, Matthew Weaver wrote for The Guardian.
Activists have launched numerous positions online, making the geographical distance between Americans who want to bring change and the refugees less obvious.
Campaigns generating buzz through social media have also gained steam, including #MigrantsContribute and #RefugeesWelcome, according to Glamour magazine.
Here are a few examples:
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My colleague Herb Scribner reported the picture surfaced online Wednesday morning. The boy, 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, was a passenger on a boat that capsized while traveling from a Turkish beach resort to a Greek island, according to the Wall Street Journal.
That boy wasn't alone in his migrant voyage. Lindsay Deutsch of USA Today reported more than 2,500 refugees and migrants have died or gone missing this year.
The picture of Aylan compounded with startling statistics have sparked "international outcry," she wrote.
Debate continues in various European countries in regards to assisting migrants. For Americans, helping positively in the foreign crisis might seem difficult, according to Heather Dockray of Good magazine.
"Many Americans, most of whom live thousands of miles away from the region, want to know what they can do to ameliorate a crisis that feels simultaneously geographically far but emotionally intimate," Dockray wrote. "After all, some of these migrants are coming from Iraq and Afghanistan regions and conflicts that our government had a huge hand in shaping, and sometimes, catalyzing."
However, those wanting to contribute to the cause have practical options, some of which we've listed below.
Donate money, clothes or goods
Tessa Benson of Time reported people can donate money or supplies and the options there are plentiful.
Well-known organizations like UNICEF and Red Cross aim to help refugees through donations. Some groups started to specifically address the migrant crisis, including Migrant Offshore Aid Station and Aylan Kurdi Fund, Benson wrote.
Dockray reported directly donating supplies might appeal to some. For example, Amazon has a registry that provides migrants with resources.
According to Time, donating supplies directly allows people to assist refugees in specific ways.
"Some organizations are looking for very specific types of donations The Jungle Library is a makeshift library set up at the migrant camp in Calais, and its looking for books," Benson wrote. "Music Against Borders is seeking musical instruments for the camp at Calais."
Follow grass-root groups' efforts
Grass-roots fundraising efforts have received more than 2,500 donations from 32 countries to address the refugee crisis, Victoria Richards of The Independent wrote.
And there's no shortage of organizations with unique approaches to bringing change, Richards wrote.
The Worldwide Tribe is a Facebook blog documenting stories of refugees that's also connected to a crowdfunding site. Similarly, teenager Tom McElholm, whose experience is chronicled here, is driving to areas with groups of migrants to provide them with supplies.
Ultimately, making monetary contributions to the cause helps, but at least acknowledging these groups' work will help people become informed, according to Dockray of Good magazine.
"Read the right facts, learn the right facts, then, when you get the right opportunity share them," she wrote.
Spread awareness on social media
Much of activism in regards to the crisis takes place on digital screens, Matthew Weaver wrote for The Guardian.
Activists have launched numerous positions online, making the geographical distance between Americans who want to bring change and the refugees less obvious.
Campaigns generating buzz through social media have also gained steam, including #MigrantsContribute and #RefugeesWelcome, according to Glamour magazine.
Here are a few examples:
Latest causes stories:
12 heartbreaking photos to honor drowned Syrian boy
In response to hundreds of refuge deaths, EU calls emergency meeting
Will kids ditch education to make $15 an hour? Opponents behind new billboard say so