Thousands of supporters are donating money to Deah Barakat’s fundraising campaign after his murder.
Deah Barakat, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha.
Deah Barakat was murdered in his own North Carolina home, alongside his wife, Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and her sister, Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha by their neighbor. Before he was killed, the 23-year-old Syrian-American and dental student was raising funds for the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). He had been planning to go to Turkey himself, with a team of University of North Carolina faculty members, to provide dental care to Syrian refugees who had been stranded there.
Since Barakat was killed, contributions to the YouCaring.com fundarising page have been pouring in—supporters have been giving thousands of dollars as each hour passes. By late afternoon Tuesday, the page had recieved more than $110,000 in donations, greatly surpassing Barakat’s goal of $20,000.
“This summer, I’m embarking on a trip to Turkey with 10 dentists to help Syrian refugees in need of urgent dental care,” Barakat says in the pledge video. “These kids don’t have access to the same health care as us, and their prolonged pain can easily be taken care of with the work that we do.”
Barakat had previously volunteered with another charity to provide dental care to Palestinian children with special needs. Donors on the YouCaring.com page have been leaving messages for Barakat, his wife, and his sister, and pledging their donations in their honor and extolling Barakat’s legacy as a selfless activist.
“I just read the news about the horrible tragedy,” wrote one supporter. “I am heartbroken at lives cut short so savagely at the dawn of their potential. This donation is in honor of the victims. You did so much in the few years on this earth.”
Share on Facebook
