Enab Baladi – Zeynep Masri

More than 264.028 people fled their homes in the opposition-held areas in the southern and eastern countryside of Idlib, following airstrikes and heavy shelling by Russian-backed Syrian regime, which prompted the residents of Idlib and the northern countryside of Aleppo, along with civic organizations to launch humanitarian initiatives (both individual and collective).

State of emergency was declared in Idlib by a number of civic organizations and foundations, including Syrian Civil Defense (SCD), Molham Volunteering Team (MVT), Al-Ameen for Humanitarian Support, Ghitaa Alrahmah Volunteering Team, Violet Organization, and Nu Day Syria organization.

The civic organizations and foundations launched a campaign under the name of “People of Glory” (Ahel el-Ezz), in which they pointed out in a joint statement that they will unify their efforts to help as many refugees as they can.

In a joint statement, the organizations said, on 22 December 2019, that they mobilized six teams to meet the basic needs of the displaced, namely: casualty transfer and emergency team, a team associated with providing shelters, food baskets distribution team, non-food item baskets distribution team, media team, warehouse and logistics team.

The organizations participating in the campaign will provide the displaced with food baskets, bread, blankets, children’s clothing, insulation kits and hygiene baskets. Medical services will also be provided, and the medical examination will take place in mobile clinics.

Speaking to Enab Baladi, a member of the Media Office in Idlib SCD Directorate, Firas al-Khalifeh said that the participating organizations and teams are organizing the campaign through distributing tasks in regular daily meetings, held by representatives of the relief and media departments.

The SCD mobilized its volunteers and machines to help evacuate the civilians from the bombardment areas in Idlib, such as Maaret al-Numan and its countryside, according to al-Khalifeh.

The SCD teams are also paving the roads to set camps, preparing and equipping shelters in the northwestern countryside of Idlib, al-Khalifeh pointed out.

The donation covers only 5 percent of the needs 

the Syrian Response Coordinator Group (SRCG) documented the displacement of 48.000 families, in a total of 264.028 displaced from Idlib, Hama and its countryside, according to a statement of the SRGC, published on 28 December 2019.

Director of the MVT, Atef Na’noua’, told Enab Baladi that the team is playing a vital role in online donations via banks and the MVT’s website, pointing out that the total donations collected by the team cover only about 5 percent of the needs of the displaced.

The displaced are in need of shelter, food, and medication, said Na’noua’, describing the situation in Idlib as “the worst humanitarian catastrophe.”

Al-Ameen for Humanitarian Support also distributed 2000 food baskets, 4000 blankets, and 2000 hygiene baskets, in addition to children’s clothing, according to the organization’s coordinator of the campaign, Abdul Salam al-Ameen.

Al-Ameen also provided three mobile medical clinics in Idlib, in addition to its regular visits to the squatter camps in Maaret Masrin and the areas in northern Syria.

The children protection team of the organization visits the shelters and holds activities, and provides psychological support to children to help them cope with traumas caused by bombardments and their displacement.

The people of Glory has helped 3400 families so far, in which their basic needs of food, heaters, insulation kits were provided, in addition to psychological support services provided.