On 7 December 2016, A boy in Jibreen wears his new winter jacket and hat. The recent fighting in east Aleppo has displaced some 31,500 people since 24 November, an estimated half of them are children. Fleeing violence, some displaced families are taking refuge in a large warehouse in Jibreen. UNICEF is providing winter clothes, safe drinking water, healthcare, education and psychosocial support for these children who have lived through so much horror.
Some 31,5000 people are reported to have been displaced from and within eastern Aleppo City since 24 November. Temperatures are dropping quickly and heavy rainfall has made conditions even worse over the past few days. UNICEF is providing blankets and winter clothing, as well as access to safe water, essential medical care, including vaccinations and psychosocial support for children who have lived through such horrors.
In Jibreen, to the east of Aleppo City, children and their families displaced by recent fighting in eastern Aleppo take shelter in a large warehouse in an area under Government control. Some 8,000 people are sheltering there.
In Hanano, in east Aleppo City was the first district to be retaken by Government forces on 27 November. People are now moving back to the area as the frontline of fighting has moved further away. This includes families returning to their homes, as well as displaced families from other areas of east Aleppo.
De White Helmets vormen een organisatie reddingswerkers die bij bombardementen -vaak zelfs terwijl die nog aan de gang zijn- zoveel mogelijk mensen vanonder het puin proberen halen. De leden werken in levensgevaarlijke omstandigheden en worden vaak zelf het slachtoffer van de zogenaamde barrel bombs. Die laatsten vormen nog steeds de grootste doodsoorzaak voor burgers in Syrië. Tot op heden werden al meer dan 79,000 levens gered, maar het gevaar is nog lang niet gaan liggen.
Wat kan je doen?
Je kan de petitie aan het adres van de VN Veiligheidsraad ondertekenen om een zogenaamde “no fly zone” boven getroffen gebieden af te dwingen.
Donaties zijn welkom om de families van gesneuvelde White Helmets bij te staan en het vernietigde materiaal voor reddingsoperaties te kunnen vervangen.