Three truckloads of humanitarian aid were sent to Syria's northwestern province of Idlib from Turkey's southern province Şanlıurfa yesterday.
Trucks belonging to a humanitarian aid agency, the Şanlıurfa Humanitarian Aid Platform, which has been sending aid to the country for seven years now, took to the road yesterday with aid mostly consisting of basic food and daily necessities.
"There is no water or electricity in the camps there [Idlib]," the head of the platform Osman Gerem said, underlining that people are struggling to survive Idlib's cold temperatures and rain in ill-equipped shelters.
Turkey carried out two cross-border military campaigns in the past two years, eliminating Daesh and the PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) near its border. Following these operations, Turkey stepped up efforts to rebuild infrastructure as well as health and education institutions.
Located near the Turkish border, the province of Idlib is home to more than 3.5 million Syrians, many of whom fled from other cities following attacks by regime forces. According to the agreement between Turkey and Russia, civilians and the moderate opposition will continue to remain in the region; however, all terrorist groups will be cleared from the region after laying down their arms. Since the deal, life in Idlib has been slowly returning to normal through humanitarian support to the province.
On Saturday, Kerem Kınık, the president of the Turkish Red Crescent, attended the opening ceremony of a preschool where 55 children, including several orphans, receive their education in the province. He said that they support the teachers' costs, stationery expenses and heating in other schools as well. Kınık underlined that Turkey is trying to meet basic human
needs while also investing in their future by fulfilling their needs for education. "If we do not support these people, they cannot get back on their feet and will be exploited by others for different purposes," he told Anadolu Agency (AA).
