For the past two years, one man in Abu Dhabi has been working tirelessly and sending thousands of dirhams worth of aid to his home country.
Aleppo’s Expatriates is providing relief and education to more than 3,000 Syrians in war zones. Co-founder Haytham O is a business owner in Abu Dhabi, working diligently to provide for citizens of his war-struck home country.
What began as a group of five college friends wanting to do something for their country, has grown into a Dhs2 million project. ‘We are from Syria, we needed to do something to help our country; our people,’ Haytham tells us.
The majority of the help Aleppo’s Expatriates gives is through relief support; providing food hampers for families in the war zones, including baby formula for thousands of infants. The organisation buys thousands of kilograms of food and divides it into food packages. ‘You see these millions of refugees on the news, but what about those left behind? There are 20 million people surviving in Syria, there is no income for them – no relief from the war,’ Haytham says.
Not only do Aleppo’s Expatriates send food, it also provides computers and internet for people to communicate with the outside world, to call for help and stop the feeling of isolation. It has even established pharmaceuticals distribution and, in winter, bought coats and shoes for children.
At the moment the goal of the organisation is to provide relief during war-time, however there is also a long-term plan, which is to open an orphanage. The Space of Hope project currently offers financial support to people looking after 265 orphans, but Haytham hopes to one day have a building to house these children. The orphans are sponsored by people from all across the world.
Aleppo’s Expatriates doesn’t fund-raise, the majority of funding comes from their own pocket. Haytham tells us: ‘We started with five founders on Facebook, then we invited friends and family – we donate our own money and raise a bit through our contacts.’
Diplomatic with the donations, he says donors can choose where to allocate their money; whether it be for education, relief aid, pharmaceuticals or the orphanage. It’s all monitored and regulated; the expenditure charts are available for everyone to view on their Facebook page.
Aleppo’s Expatriates is well-organised, however, Haytham cautions, only to a degree. ‘We can’t plan too far ahead, the war doesn’t allow us. Bombs are dropping. When I was there a bomb exploded near me. A few metres closer and I wouldn’t be here today. We can’t plan what will happen.’
When we ask how he feels about being a hero to the people he helps, Haytham is modest: ‘This is a serious issue, these people are survivors. The people who are still living in Syria, they are cut off from the world – there are bombs going off around them, they don’t eat for days, they can’t feed their children but still they survive. They are the heroes.’
More information can be found on the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AlepposExpatriates.
