By Annisa Essack
28:02:2022

A humanitarian group of six from the Jamiat Ulema SA is in Hatay, Turkey, on a fact-finding mission, carrying out aid work and overseeing projects.

The group arrived in Istanbul on Sunday night and then drove to Hatay, south of Turkey and northwest of Syria.

They are at the Tiny Hearts Village, an orphanage, where the Jamiat Ulema SA has erected two homes. The team toured the village and visited a few houses. Ml. Habib Bobat will be reporting on the ground and will keep us abreast of the work being done in the region.

Recently, the world has neglected Syria, and not receiving much attention and aid toward the work being done has dried up.

Ml Bilal Vaid, a veteran in the field, especially in Syria, provided an overview of the situation currently. He says, “The Syrian Crisis is a forgotten crisis, they’ve become the forgotten orphans of the world, and the entire crisis is an orphan crisis.” As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, he says the world has abandoned the Syrian people, although the situation is still dire, and the suffering continues.

Ml Vaid says that rebuilding the nation empowers youth and children to build their confidence and courage as they are taught to become the leaders of tomorrow and rebuild their country. The Tiny Hearts Village is the project created to ensure that the children living in the homes have a conducive environment to thrive, be educated and be empowered.

Dr Zubair Chohan, a urologist, is also part of the delegation that toured the village, and he says it was a daunting experience for him. He says they are looking at what is further required by the village to ensure that it continues to be utilised for its envisaged purpose.

Ml Bobat shared his experience living under the same conditions as the village’s orphans. He also touched on the traumas experienced by the young ones, and sharing the current experience with the children is enriching for the sole. He added, “the more we know of the crisis, the greater the responsibility we have to fulfil.”

Ml Asad Pandor is another member of the group, and he shared the plans for the rest of the day.

The group will be travelling to Syria, where they will be visiting the refugee camps and orphanages inside Syria that have been neglected. Lunch will be provided to the orphans together with some toys. The team will also visit medical and vocational centres as well.

Ml Habib will be providing regular updates on their visits and experiences, which you can catch here on Radio Islam International.

[LISTEN] to the podcast here