This April 6, Holy Thursday, marks two months since the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. After the disaster, ARCORES formalized a collaboration agreement with SED, the NGOD of the Marist Family in Spain, to channel the solidarity of the Augustinian Recollect Family and send it directly to the victims of the earthquake.
ARCORES has collected, to date, more than 75,000 €, fruit of the great generosity of entities and individuals of the Augustinian Recollect Family.
Of this amount, €20,000 was immediately sent to support the first phase of the emergency in Aleppo. This phase, which concluded last February 28, consisted in providing shelter, water, food, blankets and psychological care to the victims from the very night of the earthquake.
Mobilization after the earthquake
Mobilization like never seen before
From Syria, the Marists tell us that there is a mobilization like never seen before; the Red Crescent is working side by side with a large number of charities and associations, such as SED.
At the time, the blue Marists opened their school there to accommodate 1,000 people in the covered courtyards. Many families were afraid to return home, expecting a fourth earthquake, so they stayed there for a while; others had their homes badly damaged or completely destroyed.
After this initial relief, the Marists set up a committee of engineers to go and inspect the apartments of the displaced people. In order to get their lives back, it is essential that the families have a home.
Rehabilitation after the earthquake
Since it was essential for the families to have a home in order to recover their lives, the Marists created a committee of engineers to go and inspect the apartments of the displaced people. If the condition of the apartment was acceptable, they reassured the people to return home. If the accommodation was uninhabitable, they rented them an apartment for a year, to allow time for the necessary repairs or rehabilitation to be done. Other associations and churches have done the same.
Distribution of food to the victims
Much of the emergency aid collected by ARCORES International will be used for this rehabilitation program.
In addition to these two reconstruction programs, SED continues to distribute, together with other social organizations in Aleppo, basic aid packages (food and hygiene products) to families in need.
Psychological support
They also continue to give psychological support to the population, as this is perhaps the greatest long-term damage that the earthquake has caused in the lives of the Aleppo people.
We thank the entire Augustinian Recollect Family for their great generosity and we will continue to report on the situation of our Syrian brothers and sisters and the help that we humbly send them.
