^{Umar Tahir in Syria}

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A Brabners trainee has headed to Syria this week to help refugees.

It is Umar Tahir's second visit to the war-torn country, having made a similar trip in 2019 when he also raised over £40,000. He has been prevented from returning to the region over the last couple of years due to the pandemic, but has continued fundraising. 

Tahir will be based in a camp on the Syria/Lebanon border for a week as part of a team that provides food, warm clothing and building materials to refugees. During his time there, he will work with volunteers to help build brick shelters in response to recent flooding in the area.

Tahir said how important it was to supply clothes to the refugees. On his last visit, he experienced "how cold" it was, and witnessed children "running around with just a t-shirt" to protect them from the elements. He said as the temperature drops, many children die, and the mission's "aim is to prevent this from happening with means of keeping them warm."

Reflecting on his previous trip, Tahir said: "It is very different to seeing the camps on the news and it has such an impact on you when you put faces to name and see how people are living." 

He added that he was astounded by the "resilience" of the orphans, many of whom had witnessed their parents being killed. 

A spokesman for Brabners said: "Umar is one of our many bright young lawyers and embodies our ethos that we are here to make the difference – be that for our clients or community. This latest trip is a mark of the dedicated man he is."

The team's current JustGiving page is here.