North Charleston High School Students Collect $1,900 For Syrian Refugees

05:50

December 16, 2015

These students from North Charleston High School in Charleston, South Carolina, were inspired by photos they saw in the news to raise money for Syrian refugees this holiday season. (Courtesy of Shawn Weismiller)

After seeing the image of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old old Syrian refugee whose body washed up on a Turkish shore back in September, students at North Charleston High School in South Carolina decided they need to do something to help.

More than 90 percent of North Charleston High School students are on free or reduced lunch, but they raised nearly $2,000 to help Syrian refugees. (Courtesy of Shawn Weismiller)

The predominately African-American student body began to pool their lunch and snack money to help refugees overseas. In partnership with non-profit Jewish historical institute Centropa, which is based in Vienna, Austria, they were able to donate $1,900 in supplies to a Syrian refugee community for Hanukkah.

Here & Now’s Eric Westervelt talks with Anthony Ludwig, chair of the department of history at North Charleston High School, about his students' Syrian refugee giving campaign.

Guest

Anthony Ludwig, chair of the North Charleston High School's history department.

Host

Eric Westervelt, correspondent for NPR and guest host for Here & Now. He tweets @Ericnpr.

This segment aired on December 16, 2015.