Turkish aid agencies help Syrians facing harsh winter conditions


Turkish aid organizations have extended their humanitarian efforts for Syrian refugees in need, launching an aid campaign for the people struggling against cold winter conditions.

In the context of the "Heat Us Up" project, garments and boots were distributed to thousands of children in Muhammediyye and Deir Ballut district of northwestern Syria's Afrin. The project was initiated by the SAR Relief Association, and supported by Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) and İhsan ve Vefa (Bounty and Fidelity) Association.

The president of SAR, Mohammad Kindawi, told the Anadolu Agency (AA) that they have helped Syrian children who struggle for life with their families in harsh winter conditions.

Stressing that they have lent their hands to Syrian children who were victims of the civil war, Kindawi said that they want to warm the cockles of Syrian children's heart in the cold winter days.

"We helped thousands of children staying in tent camps located in the city center of Afrin as well as Deir Ballut and Muhammediye districts, with coats, berets, gloves, wefts and boots," he said.

Kindawi added they will continue their humanitarian activities in different regions of Syria within the framework of the project.

In late December, Turkish aid organizations also lined up to lend a helping hand to refugees after heavy rainfall caused severe flooding and destroyed tents at 11 camps in rural areas of northern Syria.

In the wake of heavy rains, at least 220 tents were demolished and 550 tents were flooded, with 32,000 civilians staying in the tents.

Regarding the incident, Kadir Akgündüz, the Turkish Red Crescent's Syria field coordinator, told AA that they had begun preparations in coordination with AFAD soon after they learned about the flood in Syria's Idlib.

Akgündüz said the first batch of aid included blankets, beds, canned foods and tents were sent from the nearby Turkish provinces of Gaziantep and Hatay. Also, Selim Tosun, the Humanitarian Relief Foundation's (İHH) media adviser in Syria, told AA that they sent immediate needs such as blankets, winter clothes, boots and tents.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar Assad regime cracked down on protesters with unexpected ferocity.