On the morning of February 6, 2023, the magnitude 7.9 earthquake that hit southern Turkey also hit Baniyas, on the coast of Syria, very strongly. It was 3:39 am . The population, already exhausted by the war and the economic crisis, had to face new upheavals, new damage, new fears. AMU, which is present in Syria, and in this same city, with other projects, immediately decided to stay close to the population by supporting their physical and psychological recovery through the RISE (Response in Syria Emergency) program. A year and a half later, support actions continue on three fronts: medical assistance, home restoration and distribution of healthy meals to children. These are the numbers of our intervention between August and September 2024.
Medical assistance
Due to the difficult economic situation that the country has been experiencing for years, public health is practically non-existent . This problem has worsened after the earthquake and the elderly are the ones who are most affected. Among the priorities of the RISE program is precisely medical assistance to the most vulnerable people. In Baniyas, medical support activities began on July 1st: in the two-month period July-August, twenty elderly people received drugs for the treatment of chronic diseases. This distribution will be repeated every three months. In addition, their health status will be periodically monitored.
Home renovation
The activity of checking the applications received for the renovation of the houses began on July 1st. This first phase was immediately followed by a second one to assess the extent of the damage. Thirty-two houses were visited. Five houses were restored and delivered on August 27th , after the inspection of a civil engineer. During the month of September, ten more houses were renovated.
Distribution of healthy meals for children
In the educational centers that AMU already supports with the Seeds of Hope program, healthy meals continue to be distributed to the little ones: 225 children in Baniyas receive these meals four times a week . This is a way to prevent malnutrition, one of the main concerns of Syrian families at this time.
