Nobel Prize loss sparks $1 million fundraising effort for Syria's 'White Helmets'
The Syrian Civil Defense -- commonly known as the "White Helmets" for the hard hats they wear -- would have earned roughly $1 million had they won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.
They missed out on the award and the money as Colombia's president took home the prize, but an online campaign is trying to raise the cash anyway.
"Over the past few days the outpouring of support for these heroes has been overwhelming," Anna Nolan, director of The Syria Campaign, the advocacy group behind the fundraising, said in a statement provided to Mashable. "We are launching the ‘People’s Million’ campaign so people around the world can continue to show their love for these heroes."
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She added that "every penny raised will go towards replacing their life-saving equipment, looking after injured volunteers and helping the families of those who have been killed whilst saving others."
The fundraising webpage lists items the White Helmets need to buy, and how much they cost.
Each pair of safety goggles, for example, is listed at $4.68. One of the white helmets, for which they are famous, costs $144.64. Ambulances run $15,000 apiece.
The Syria Campaign has done such fundraisers before, brining in $1.3 million from more than 20,000 donors for the White Helmets recently. The campaign promises the money is "managed and administered by the leadership of the White Helmets."
The need for equipment could hardly be more urgent.
The White Helmets, an around 3,000-member group of volunteers founded in 2013, works to save the lives of Syrians struggling to survive as explosions and fighting have become a common occurrence since civil war broke out there in 2011.
The group -- whose recognition grew even more with the completion of a new Netflix documentary -- was an immensely popular candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Celebrities including Justin Timberlake, Aziz Ansari, Alicia Keys, Susan Sarandon, Daniel Craig, George Clooney and many others had backed the group. Those endorsements came in addition to the endorsements of 133 organizations across the globe, including Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered and Stop Genocide Now.
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The White Helmets have saved around 62,000 people, according to The Syria Campaign, and 146 members have died trying.
The latest death came "moments after the Nobel Peace Prize was announced," according to a statement. Mahmoud Al Muhammad, 24, was killed after a Syrian government rocket exploded while he and others rushed to help civilians attacked as they left a prayer service on Friday.
Al Muhammad was married and the father of three children.
As of this writing, the newest effort to raise money for The White Helmets has earned around $90,000 from more than 2,000 people.
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
