Among the people who suffered most from the violent earthquake that hit Syria on February 6 are the elderly .
People who are often weak and alone in a country that has had to face numerous tragedies in recent years, starting from the war and up to the earthquake that caused destruction and devastation in the northern regions.
Alongside the material damage there were – and still are – fear and psychological traumas that are difficult to heal.
Sometimes, however, spending even just a day with someone who takes care of the wounds of the psyche is a precious gift.
This is what the RISE – Response in Syria Emergency program (in which the Emergency Coordination of the Focolare Movement, AMU and AFN participate) has done in
collaboration with the staff of the Armenian Orthodox Church Nursing Home, located in the city of Aleppo.
The elderly guests of the facility had a meat-based lunch (a rare thing in the current Syrian economic context), played games and, above all, danced with a group of volunteers. The place where the nursing home stands is surrounded by greenery, and while the music spread in the garden, men and women smiled serenely.
“The elderly needed to feel that they are important, that there are people who care about them; providing them with these moments gave us great joy” one of the volunteers testified, satisfied.
