Letter from Aleppo 42 – Sad faces

The people of Aleppo will never forget the years 2012 to 2016 when the war was in Aleppo.

They remember very well the bombs and gas cylinders filled with explosives and nails dropped by the armed rebel groups installed in East Aleppo in their neighbourhoods, causing numerous civilian casualties on a daily basis.

They remember the hours they spent with anxiety and fear waiting for their loved ones to return home.

They remember the suffering they have endured, the cold in winter due to lack of diesel for heating and the nights that have passed in the dark for years due to lack of electricity (the power plants were in the hands of terrorists).

They cannot forget the years when they were deprived of running water (terrorists cut off the water supply to an entire city) and the hours they waited their turn in hastily dug wells anywhere in the city to fill their water cans.

They will always remember the repeated blockades of the city in which no one could enter or leave, isolating Aleppo and its inhabitants and causing a shortage of all essential items.

On November 2, they went to cemeteries to pray at the graves of their parents, relatives and friends killed during the war years.

They still live with nostalgia for the happy days when all the members of their family lived in Aleppo before being scattered around the world.

Despite all the suffering of recent years, the Aleppians now repeat in chorus “we lived better during the war years than now”, “we miss the time of the bombs, which was more bearable than the poverty we suffer now”

In fact, it is the poverty bomb that has now exploded in Syria leaving 80% of the population living below the poverty line and 60% living with food insecurity.

Now that the fighting has almost stopped for two years and the military situation is frozen, what is catastrophic is the economic situation. The prices of simple necessities have risen dramatically, leading to an increase in the cost of rent and the cost of living. The shortage has become permanent, with the rationing of gasoline, bread, sugar, rice, etc. On the other hand, wages have not been adjusted proportionally, which has led to an increase in poverty. Most families can no longer make ends meet and depend on food, medical and monetary aid from NGOs to survive.

This situation is the result of various causes, such as the destruction of the country’s infrastructure and the ravages of war, the financial crisis in Lebanon, where many Syrians have lost their capital to invest and their savings for retirement, but also the wicked sanctions imposed by European countries and the United States, which block financial transactions, prevent imports and prohibit investments in Syria. In addition, the Covid19 pandemic has worsened the situation due to the deaths it has caused and the preventive measures that have slowed down an already moribund economic activity.

Many of our compatriots tell us that they regret their decision to stay in the country when emigration was easy and many dream of settling elsewhere. In August of this year alone, seventeen thousand Aleppo youth left the country to settle and work elsewhere, especially in Egypt. We are fully suffering the departure of what remains of the skilled workforce and artisans. Small businesses that risk opening can no longer find skilled workers to run their machines; And it is other countries that benefit from our doctors, engineers, craftsmen, workers and other professionals who have been trained here in Syria and who contribute to economic growth or fill the gap of certain professions in other countries.

This summer we have seen many people arriving in Aleppo who had fled the war and migrated to other places. They returned to visit their relatives, to tidy up their houses that they had hastily abandoned and to dispose of their clothes and other property that had become useless, to renew their passports and to take care of the administrative procedures pending since their departure.

When asked how they got back to Aleppo, many of these people used the same formula: “We found SAD FACES.” These people from Aleppo who have returned to Aleppo after several years of absence have expressed aloud what we have felt for a long time. People are sad, their faces are sad, their minds are sad, and their hearts are sadder. How can you expect it to be otherwise when you have been living between military bombs and the poverty bomb for 10 years?

Blue Marists’ projects

In this context, the Blue Marists continue to work to sow a little joy in the hearts of children and a little hope in the minds of adults, to help people to have a job and families to make ends meet. month, to educate children and also adults.

Our “Colibrí” (Hummingbird) project, which cares for displaced families in Shahba camp, continues its educational and medical activities and provides material support to families in food and hygiene matters. However, this project is threatened; the Turkish army, which occupies the Syrian region of Afrin, is shelling the surroundings of the camp and has sent flyers to the population of the region to warn them of an imminent large-scale military operation “to liberate the region from terrorists” (sic) .

The “Shared Bread” project is highly appreciated by the people of Aleppo. Twelve ladies cook every day in our premises to prepare a daily hot dish (with fruit and bread) that our 25 volunteers distribute (with a smile and an attentive ear) at noon to more than 200 elderly people who live alone, without family and without resources.

We have started a second phase of our “Vocational Training” program with 20 young adults whom we have apprenticed with a boss to learn a trade and become plumbers, carpenters, electricians, mechanics, painters, tailors, etc.

The “Microprojects” program continues with the training of adults to manage projects and the financing of projects with potential for success. Unfortunately, the economic crisis makes the chances of success lower.

Our two educational projects for children from 3 to 6 years old from poor and displaced families, respectively, “Learning to grow” and “I want to learn”, have not been able to accept all the requests and, unfortunately, they have had to reject children who need our help. Our facilities are used to the maximum of their capacity and cannot accommodate more than 210 children and the 31 educators who accompany them.

“Semillas” (Seeds), the psychological support project, is growing enormously. Thirty volunteers, under the direction of our head psychologist, take care of 450 children from 3 to 16 years old through the “Lotus” program for the little ones and “Bambú” (Bamboo) for the elderly, without forgetting the support for adults.

The “Handmade” program, continues to employ 13 women to recycle leftover fabrics into one-of-a- kind pieces for women. Fighting waste, protecting the environment and employing women are the principles of the project.

Candidates are rushing to enrol in the “Women’s Development” project. Two groups of 20 women are organised for sessions of three months. General culture workshops, health recommendations, personal training and an archaeological visit enrich the project, which also offers a space for coexistence and freedom to the participants.

Our adult training centre, our “MIT”, organizes workshops of 12h, 20h and 56 hours of training on various useful topics. We can only accept 20 participants per workshop, who are led by the best experts in Aleppo.

The “Hope” project, ‘Esperanza’, consists of teaching English to mothers.

We continue to distribute milk to children under the age of 11 “Gota de leche” (Drop of Milk), contributing to the cost of medical care for people in need (more than 150 medical procedures per month), paying the rent of 200 displaced families who cannot afford it and delivering Every month, cash to 450 families in Aleppo sponsored by Polish families in a program organized by a Polish NGO.

The Blue Marists

The number of Blue Marists is growing; now we are 170 volunteers and paid staff. New members must attend human and Marist formation sessions before being definitively admitted. Also, a regular training program is mandatory for all members.

We are convinced that the situation will not improve until the sanctions are lifted, so we ask for their end and we ask you, dear friends, to put pressure on your representatives and the authorities of your countries to put an end to the sanctions.

We are aware that everything we do is just a drop in the ocean of needs, but that drop is essential for the well-being of thousands of families.

We try to make the faces of our compatriots a little less sad and it is not easy. We count on your solidarity and your prayers.

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Aleppo, 2 November, 2021

Dr. Nabil Antaki – On behalf of the Blue Marists.