Renowned Spanish prize awarded to the Marists of Aleppo

A renowned Spanish prize has been awarded this year to the Marist of Aleppo, Syria, for their work in a zone of armed conflict where they have risked their lives to attend to people affected by the war.

The “Blue Marists” hope to allocate their prize of 15,000 Euros, to programmes of humanitarian aid and emergency for Syrian refugees, as well as educational programmes for children.

The award, called the ‘Premio Internacional Navarra de la Solidaridad,’ is given by the government of Navarra, one of Spain’s 17 regions, and recognises the work of people that help disadvantaged social sectors and impoverished people around the world.

Other religious orders that have received this award in the past include the Missionaries of Charity in (2003), the Jesuit Refugee Service (2004) and the Juan Ciudad NGO of the Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God (2014).

The NGO Solidaridad, Educación y Desarrollo (SED), which collaborates with the ‘Blue Marists,’ put their name forward as possible candidates for the prize.

The jury praised the volunteers who work with them and those who help them network with other Christian, Muslim and secular organisations. They also praised the fat that they had stayed in Aleppo after the war began and their continued focus on the vulnerable population.