Syrian, Turkish Officials to QNA: Millions of Syrians Benefit from Qatari Humanitarian Support over Past Years
Damascus, February 18 (QNA) – Syrian and Turkish officials and humanitarian experts have praised the support provided by the State of Qatar to the Syrian people over the years, which has been reflected in numerous relief initiatives and assistance for a large number of displaced and refugee Syrians in various areas of Syria.
In exclusive statements to the Qatar News Agency (QNA), they emphasized that the Qatari relief projects have benefited millions of Syrians over the past years and helped alleviate their suffering during the years of war. They pointed out that Qatar”s consistent stance of standing with suffering peoples and supporting causes of justice and fairness has become a fundamental approach.
Deputy Minister of Social Affairs and Labour in Syria Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim told QNA that Qatar”s humanitarian relief efforts in Syria stood out in terms of quantity, quality, and performance, as they were pioneering initiatives targeting a large number of displaced and refugees, noting that these efforts were not limited to immediate support, but extended to sustainable projects in service, education, and healthcare sectors, making them a leading model in sustainable humanitarian work.
Al-Ibrahim added that Qatari charitable institutions have emerged as a key player in the humanitarian scene in Syria, launching massive projects that cover various aspects of life, from emergency relief to long-term programs that help improve livelihoods. These projects were characterized by sustainability and a profound impact on the lives of beneficiaries, making Qatari support a model to be followed in relief and development fields, he noted.
For his part, Director of the Syrian Civil Defense (White Helmets) Raed Al-Saleh highlighted the strong partnership between his organization and Qatari entities, saying that Qatar”s support through the Qatar Fund for Development after the 2023 earthquake was vital and played a key role in saving lives and supporting the organization”s operations and emergency response to the disaster.
It is impossible to forget that the first hand extended to help the Syrian Civil Defense during those difficult days came from Qatar, symbolizing a message of hope in humanitarian solidarity and life-saving, he said, pointing out that currently, this support continues with capacity building and specialized training for the teams.
Director of Qatar Charity”s (QC) office in Turkiye Karam Ali spoke about QC”s significant efforts, describing Qatar”s support to the Syrian people as a “lifeline” that has helped millions of Syrians over the years. In a statement to QNA, he said that over the past years, Qatar Charity has been one of the largest actors in humanitarian response in Syria, with total humanitarian and relief spending exceeding QR 1 billion , providing more than 41 million services in various sectors.
He added that among QC”s key achievements is the establishment of the City of Hope for displaced persons in northwest Syria, which provides 1,400 housing units with integrated services for more than 46,000 beneficiaries. QC also supported the education sector by providing classrooms and school supplies, printing more than 545,000 schoolbooks, and enabling thousands of students to continue their education, in addition to the implementation of health and medical projects, including operating and supporting health centers and hospitals and providing ambulances, and other projects that served the suffering Syrian people.
In his statement to QNA, Secretary General of Turkiye”s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (?HH) Dr. Durmus Aydin spoke about the high-level coordination and deep partnership with Qatari supporting entities, noting their rapid response to the Syrian humanitarian crisis. He said that the ?HH was the gateway for Qatari aid to the Syrian people, initially providing urgent aid to refugees in Turkiye, and then expanding to cover the interior of Syria through open crossings with opposition areas.
He pointed out that in Turkiye, a large orphan city was established with funding from Qatari charitable societies in the Turkish town of Reyhanli, which includes schools, a health center, dining halls, and sports fields, adding that a sewing workshop for Syrian women and a bakery that provides free bread to poor families and orphan centers were also created.
Additionally, a bakery was established in Kilis province to provide bread to displaced persons in the Azaz camps, as well as an emergency kitchen that serves 50,000 meals, he said. Al-Amal charity hospital was also established in Reyhanli to provide medical services to Syrian refugees and wounded people coming from Syria.
In Syria, camps for displaced persons were built, including more than 5,000 caravans with facilities that include schools, mosques, and medical centers, Aydin said, adding that the first brick residential city was built near Bab Al-Hawa in 2015, in addition to the City of Hope in Sawran, which includes 1,400 homes, schools, a kindergarten, a mosque, a vocational school, water wells, markets, and sports fields, in partnership with Qatar Charity. He also noted the establishment of Al-Sham Hospital in Azaz camps, the first hospital within the camps, as well as a neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit in Khirbat al-Jawz area in Idlib, along with mobile clinics to provide healthcare.
Since the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Qatar has been strongly present on the scene, rushing to provide urgent humanitarian aid to displaced and refugee Syrians in various locations. Qatari support was not limited to providing food, medicine, and shelter, but also included developmental projects aimed at improving living conditions for refugees, offering education and training opportunities, and empowering them to rely on themselves.
In the crowded refugee camps, Qatar”s imprint was clearly visible, with the establishment of model camps that provided displaced Syrians with a safe and dignified environment, equipped with health, educational, and service facilities. Qatar did not stop there but also focused on providing psychological and social support to refugees, helping them overcome the psychological trauma they had experienced.
Qatar also recognized the importance of healthcare for Syrian refugees, establishing clinics and field hospitals in refugee camps, providing free medical and therapeutic services, and training Syrian medical staff to enable them to provide the necessary healthcare services.
In one of the latest completed projects in Syria, Qatar Charity inaugurated the City of Hope housing project in northern Syria. Today, despite the changing geopolitical landscape, relief convoys and humanitarian assistance continue to flow by land and air into Syria, easing the burden of the economic situation that the majority of Syrians are enduring. This ongoing support underscores Qatar’s steadfast commitment to maintaining a principled and unwavering approach to humanitarian assistance. (QNA)
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