An Istanbul-based aid agency is providing hot meals every day to thousands of people in northern Syria, an official of the agency said on Friday.
"Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (İHH) is providing 10,000 orphans, widows and needy people with hot meals in the city of Afrin and the town of Jinderes," İHH coordinator in Afrin, Cengizhan Özdemir told Anadolu Agency (AA).
The food is prepared at the İHH's coordination center in Turkey's southern Kilis province, from which it is brought to Afrin and served at local distribution centers.
İHH has been carrying out aid projects in war-torn Syria since the devastating conflict began in 2011.
On Thursday, the foundation distributed blankets for families living in border refugee camps in northern Syria's Idlib, where tents were flooded due to heavy rainfall.
"Heavy rainfall since October has negatively affected the life in the camps. Lots of tents became unusable, and even the roads in tent cities were destroyed. Some 3,000 blankets were distributed to 1,000 families in Atme, Al-Kerame and Qah camps," İHH said in a written statement.
The statement added that food aid and tents will continue to be distributed and humanitarian assistance efforts will be increased in line with the camp's needs.
Since Dec. 22, at least 22 refugee camps have been flooded, and 67 others badly affected by heavy rain in the Atmeh camps region, according to data collected by the Syria Intervention Coordinators, a local nongovernmental organization (NGO) devoted to helping civilians.
At least 220 tents were destroyed, and 550 tents were flooded. No casualties were reported as a result of the flooding, but livestock reportedly perished.
In September, İHH also sent over 20 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria's Idlib.
In 2018, İHH distributed 270 million loaves of bread to families in need and numerous winter clothes, in efforts to lend a helping hand to Syrian refugees. Previously, the organization, along with another NGO, Fetih-Der, provided 80 families that were unable to find shelter following the floods with tents.
