To aid the victims of the devastating earthquake in Turkiye and Syria, Tzu Chi has not only provided supplies and care to the affected areas in Turkiye but has also actively sought ways to help Syria, which was also heavily affected. The good news is that it has recently made progress in supplying aid to Syria. Tzu Chi has cooperated with Hashemite, a charity organization in Jordan. Thanks to a donation by a Taiwanese businessman, the first batch of more than 420,000 pieces of clothing has arrived in Syria.
The businessman operates a clothing company in Karak, Jordan and generously donated the clothes and blankets to Tzu Chi Jordan. It has a long-standing friendly relationship with a local charity organization, Hashemite. With the cooperation of the organization, the donated materials were first sent to Hashemite's warehouse and then transported to the Syrian border by the Jordanian military.
Hurriedly packing boxes, to help the disaster victims as soon as possible
The machines in the garment factory kept running, and the workers and volunteers never put down their hands. Despite the need to work overtime to deliver supplies, no one complained of exhaustion. Syrian volunteer Mohammad Roz said: “Many people are affected by earthquakes in Syria and Turkey. Even if we can only contribute a little, as long as we can comfort those affected by the disaster, we are grateful. We sincerely appreciate Tzu Chi.”
The donated materials included 426,800 pieces of ready-to-wear, children's clothing, and 50,000 thick blankets. Tzu Chi volunteers assisted with the sorting and packing. The goods were then packed into containers and transported to the Hashemite organization's facility in Mafraq for temporary storage in their warehouse.
"We are very grateful for the full support of the Hashemite organization," said Chiou-hwa Chen, CEO of Tzu Chi Jordan. "We also hope to continue to deliver clothes to Syria and help the disaster victims receive warmth."
Due to strict controls in Syria, the goods delivered to the Hashemite warehouse could not be directly transported into Syria. Instead, they needed to wait for Jordanian military trucks to transport them to the Jabir border. Overcoming the complexities of transporting goods, with the assistance and efforts of all parties involved, the first batch of goods was finally delivered to the border inspection station on February 28. tch of goods was finally delivered to the border inspection station on February 28.
Volunteer Khader Khalifeh said: “Thousands of Syrian people have lost everything and have nowhere to go after the earthquake. But we are grateful for Allah's mercy; today, Tzu Chi has delivered the first batch of supplies. For the next few days, there will be four military trucks carrying supplies entering Syria every day."
Syrian volunteer Roz was deeply touched when she saw military trucks entering Syria with supplies. She felt a strong connection to her hometown and was glad to be able to help her homeland alongside Tzu Chi. She offered her humble contribution to those suffering from earthquake damage. Roz thanked Tzu Chi and wished blessings upon everyone from Allah.”
Apart from a generous donation of 15 forty-foot containers of clothes and blankets from a Taiwanese clothing factory, the Tzu Chi Jordan Chapter has also procured warm supplies, such as jackets, wool hats, gloves, and boots. These items will be sent to the Hashemite warehouse after March 2 and be transported to Syria in the same way to aid disaster victims there.
Source: from Da Ai News, reported by Lamiya Lin, Mingjieh Chang, and Chiou Hwa Chen in Jordan, 2023/03/03
