Billionaire Commits $500 Million To Assist Syrian Refugees And Migrants

Credit: WashingtonTimes.com
Credit: WashingtonTimes.com

Not every affluent individual is inspired to help the less fortunate, which is why the news of billionaire and activist George Soros donating a generous amount to assist Syrian refugees is such positive news.

Distraught by the conflict in Syria which has displaced millions of people, the generous businessman, investor, and social activist acted on President Obama’s ‘Call To Action’ initiative which asked for private sector businesses to allow more work opportunities for asylum-seekers. His impressive contribution of $500 million puts the donations of global governments to shame. The European Union, for example, donated $191 million to the crisis.

Soros explained his reasons for donating in an essay:

“Governments must play the leading role in addressing this crisis by creating and sustaining adequate physical and social infrastructure for migrants and refugees. But harnessing the power of the private sector is also critical. Although my main concern is to help migrants and refugees arriving in Europe, I will be looking for good investment ideas that will benefit migrants all over the world.”

“We will seek investments in a variety of sectors, among them emerging digital technology, which seems especially promising as a way to provide solutions to the particular problems that dislocated people often face. Advances in this sector can help people gain access more efficiently to government, legal, financial and health services,” he added.

Credit: IcelandMonitor.mbl.is
A Syrian refugee waits to board a boat with his two children. Credit: IcelandMonitor.mbl.is

George Soros, the founder of The Open Society Foundations, was once himself a refugee. In 1947, he fled communist-dominated Hungary to escape the Nazi occupation. Perhaps it’s this experience that inspired him to donate $500 million to assist Syrian refugees and migrants. While the businessman is a questionable individual for a few reasons, this charitable act seems worthy of recognition.

What are your thoughts? Please comment below and share this news!


This article (Billionaire Commits $500 Million To Assist Syrian Refugees And Migrants ) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com

Popular on True Activist