The Russian Red Cross (RRC) gave more than 15 tons of humanitarian aid - baby food - to the population affected by the earthquake in Syria on its second humanitarian mission. More than 3,500 people in need received aid from the RRC during two weeks, three times as much as during the first mission.
Medical and psychosocial support was also provided to the victims. The mission lasted from May 20 to June 4, with the RRC team (10 people) consisting of emergency response personnel, psychosocial support specialists and physicians. The team worked in the outskirts and suburbs of Latakia in cooperation with the local administration and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent supported by Rossotrudnichestvo.
“More than 3.5 thousand people received support from our team during the second humanitarian mission in Syria. This time the humanitarian aid included baby food - food packages with canned meat and mash, fruit squash, cereal bars and milk formulas, distributed according to age groups. More than 15 tons of humanitarian aid were supplied by our team during this six-month period,” said Pavel Savchuk, President of the Russian Red Cross.
According to Alexei Pikul, head of the RRC Disaster Response Department, who was responsible for the humanitarian mission, the list of needs was compiled in cooperation with the Latakia authorities. Baby food, especially infant formulas, is virtually non-existent in the country being under sanctions, so it was the main item of the relief aid. Humanitarian kits were distributed among 681 children under the age of 2, and among 2,597 children between 2 and 10 years.
Together with food kits, the RRC team provided medical help and psychosocial support.
“During those days we also managed to conduct 192 full medical examinations of local residents - from blood pressure measurements and blood sugar tests to ultrasounds and ECGs. We brought in professional equipment for this purpose. During the two weeks, we helped people in five districts of Latakia,” said Alexey Pikul.
Medical equipment included blood pressure monitors, ultrasound devices, first aid kits, pulse oximeters, personal protective equipment, ECG machines, inhalers, non-medicinal medications, analyzers to measure cholesterol, glucose and hemoglobin, and more.
Examination for all patients included electrocardiography (ECG), ultrasound examination (USE) of abdominal organs, thyroid gland and heart. Some patients received intramuscular injections and intravenous infusions. Some visitors to the medical office got medical appointments and were given medications as part of the RRC humanitarian mission in Syria.
Psychologists from the Russian Red Cross also provided psychosocial support to anyone in need. The RRC team had two specialists who helped people adapt to new conditions after the earthquake.
RRC specialists also organized games and physical activities for children, arranged cartoon parties for them, and taught children Russian language, while they, in turn, taught them Arabic words. Upon request, personal consultations were conducted by specialists. Local organizations and individuals helped with translation.
The RRC team also donated a mobile aid station and equipment to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and met with the Latakia Governor's Corps. The Syrian side provided storage and sorting facilities for the relief supplies and helped with transportation and volunteers.
During the first two-week humanitarian mission in March 2023, the Russian Red Cross team assisted more than 1,000 people in need. That included more than 330 people who received medical help and almost 800 who received psychosocial support.
Two devastating earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6 occurred on February 6 in Kahramanmaraş province in southeastern Turkey. Earth tremors and aftershocks were also felt in neighboring countries, particularly in Syria.
