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The head of Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee says the Syrian refugee crisis is the most catastrophic humanitarian disaster he's seen in the last two decades. 
 
"It's about four times the size of the Haiti earthquake in terms of human suffering," President and CEO Daniel Wordsworth told MPR News host Tom Weber. 

"It's taken four years for people to see the human suffering. And what you're seeing is, it's a little like the reverberations of a humanitarian earthquake, and the reverberations of this now have moved through the region, and now they're striking the shores of Europe," Wordsworth added.

The American Refugee Committee group has partnered with a non-profit working on the ground in Syria to distribute emergency items and help with water and sanitation support. 

More than four million people have fled Syria since fighting broke out in 2011, according to United Nations estimates. Millions more are displaced within their country.

The crisis has grabbed international attention, as thousands of Syrians have risked their lives on dangerous journeys trying to get to Europe.

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The head of Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee says the Syrian refugee crisis is the most catastrophic humanitarian disaster he's seen in the last two decades.

More than four million people have fled Syria since fighting broke out in 2011, according to United Nations estimates. Millions more are displaced within their country.

The crisis has grabbed international attention, as thousands of Syrians have risked their lives on dangerous journeys trying to get to Europe.

The Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee is working to help Syrians who have had to flee their homes.

President Daniel Wordsworth will come by the studio to talk with Tom Weber about the crisis, how it compares to other refugee crises he's seen, and what needs to be done.

Guest: Daniel Wordsworth, President and CEO of American Refugee Committee

Syrian refugees experience 'worst humanitarian crisis in decades'

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