Completion of 3rd Aid Convoy to Syria May 2014 On May 4th 2014, 90 volunteers from the UK, USA and Spain took 32 vehicles, including ambulances, 4x4s, vans and a truck, laden with aid for the people of Syria, on a grueling journey across Europe and Turkey to the Turkish-Syrian border. After 8 days of solid driving, the journey ended on Monday 12th May, when all vehicles congregated at the Turkish-Syrian border, where they were successfully exchanged with Syrian drivers, who drove them into the country. All 32 vehicles were subsequently driven to SKT Welfare’s Al-Huda hospital in Northern Syria, from where the aid accompanying the vehicles is currently being distributed across the land to those most in need. Most of the ambulances will also be attached to healthcare facilities and mobile health initiatives throughout Syria. 10 ambulances, however, are reserved for the charity’s Al-Huda Hospital, which covers a huge catchment area severely in need of such first-responder type vehicles. Two of SKT Welfare’s trustees, Majid Butt and Dr. Ismail Ray, also entered Syria to check on the various projects the charity is currently undertaking inside the country - particularly the Al-Huda hospital - but also to survey the situation and establish what the most urgent humanitarian needs are of the Syrian people presently. Both trustees returned safely to the UK shortly afterwards, along with all the volunteers. This underscores and evidences, yet again, the charity’s commitment to operating a purely humanitarian endeavour, contrary to some of the concerns highlighted by the media in recent months regarding convoys in general being used as fronts for subversive and unlawful activity. We gave reassurances prior to the convoy, concerning our work and all the volunteers, and we have successfully shown the effectiveness of our due diligence. We hope this contributes towards countering some of the negative portrayals in the public domain concerning aid convoys, so that the work of SKT Welfare isn’t tainted by actions of those external to it, or perceptions which have resulted therefrom. During the convoy, it came to our attention that the British government intends to prioritise funding towards those NGOs and humanitarian outfits which have demonstrable track records of getting aid into hard-to-reach areas in Syria. Whilst SKT Welfare functions independently, and is not a recipient of government funding, the stance taken by the government implicitly recognises the efforts of charities such as ours, which is a testimony to our effectiveness; a point worth highlighting to the wider public. In closing, this 3rd convoy was another successful project for SKT Welfare, raising at least £50,000 from our volunteer contingent; following on from the success of the previous convoys in December 2012 and April 2013. SKT Welfare remains committed to Syria, committed to the Syrian people, and committed to reaching and serving areas most in need, which typically tend to be some of the most dangerous neighbourhoods. We would like to thank all the volunteers who took part in this convoy, and all those who donated to this phenomenal effort. Through your support, thousands of Syrians will now benefit despite the collapsed public health infrastructure around them. Please continue to #Stand4Syria with SKT Welfare…
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 21:24:46 +0000
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