January 8, 2016 Syria

Syrian humanitarian workers visited Farid El-Hashem's family

Caritas CR, together with a local organisation in the Syrian capital Damascus, which cannot be named due to security reasons, provide food and one-time use vouchers for clothing and home furnishing for families which had to leave their homes because of the ongoing conflict. All aid receivers registered in the humanitarian centre are visited regularly by the local workers in their temporary shelters and that is how they also learned the story of Mr. Farid El-Hashem.

Like many others, Mr. El-Hashem's family faced a situation in which they had to leave their home without opportunity to take any of their property with them and they could do nothing but hope that one day they could come back to their country. However, at the beginning of the war, Mr. El‑Hashem's two sons refused to leave their home. They tried to flee only after the village in the Daraa province was struck with full force. Nevertheless, they had no chance to escape the blockade.

Father, mother and their third son are now living in a small room in Damascus, which is wet and does not protect them against rain. Although their son earns money for the rent every day until midnight, they cannot afford better living. However, the family is not safe. In the past, a grenade fell in the neighbourhood, wounded their father and he lost his hearing Since then, he underwent many surgeries but without success.

The family told us that in the past they were used to visiting each other, living together, decorating a Christmas tree on the village square together, and turning on the lights in the streets, however, the tragic war has left only memories of all that.

As a part of humanitarian aid provision, workers from the centre in Damascus have brought food baskets to Mr. Farid El-Hashem's family. The man thanked them wholeheartedly and wished them great health and happiness because they are people who help others in need.

In order to protect the family and the partner of Caritas CR, the name of the man was changed. The situation in Syria is actually very dangerous – even mere distribution of aid and its reception may be taken by some groups as treason and can lead to more violence.