Following the huge 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that devastated Southeast Turkey and Northwest Syria and the subsequent media coverage, it was impossible to ignore the plight of Syrian families who have been suffering for over 12 years. Now another 6.4 magnitude earthquake has struck, affecting areas where the humanitarian situation was already catastrophic. Now, even more lives have been lost and even more Syrian families are displaced, cold and hungry, with nowhere to go.
We must not abandon Syria
The catastrophic situation in Syria is unprecedented as the ongoing tremors continue to terrify families who are already traumatised. We must remember that families in the northwest of Syria have been battered and weakened by 12 years of brutal conflict. 90 percent of the population were already reliant upon humanitarian aid for survival. Following the earthquakes, we must not turn away from Syria’s most vulnerable families who are without even the basics needed to survive and are at risk of freezing and starving to death.
Due to our strong presence in northwest Syria, we were on the ground long before the first earthquake struck, supporting displaced Syrians devastated by war. When the first earthquake hit, our teams were delivering vital winter aid, while our Al Imaan Hospital, the only hospital of its kind in Idlib, was providing lifesaving healthcare.
We are still on the ground today, helping Syrians to recover by providing hot meals, blankets, sleeping bags, warm clothing, water purification units, and hygiene and dignity kits. We are also helping Syrians to rebuild their lives. We have just rehomed 1,000 Syrian families in our new-build long-term accommodation in our new Al Zahoor Village, freeing up emergency shelters for the newly displaced.
Our Al Imaan Hospital, the only hospital of its kind in Idlib, has also continued providing free lifesaving healthcare to the most vulnerable families in northwest Syria. Despite losing members of our team and sustaining damage in the first earthquake, we quickly reopened our hospital and continued to safely deliver babies and administer lifesaving healthcare to children, women and the injured, free of charge.
