Cambridge, MA – A Massachusetts Institute of Technology student has created a new line of sleeping bags designed to help Syrian refugees survive winters in the Middle East.
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Sophomore Vick Liu designed the TravlerPack from his dorm room and recently raised $17,000 to send the first 250 to resettlement areas in Syria.
Freezing temperatures in Syria and surrounding countries have been blamed for some refugee deaths in recent years, and the United Nations says 4 million in Syria and Iraq face “extreme risk” this year.
Liu designed the sleeping bag using his backpacking experience as an Eagle Scout but also gathered advice from refugees who fled Syria’s civil war.
The bag can handle temperatures as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit and includes a waterproof pocket for travel documents and a shoulder strap for portability.
