The Russian Red Cross (RRC), the oldest humanitarian organization in Russia, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, donated a mobile humanitarian aid center and started the second humanitarian mission in Syria to support the population affected by the earthquake in February this year.
Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Pavel Savchuk, President of the RRC, and Khaled Hboubati, President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, the National Societies will join forces to provide high-quality humanitarian assistance to the population in emergencies and humanitarian crises.
“The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is a new chapter of our cooperation, which has a very long history. The Russian Red Cross team already visited Syria in March with the first humanitarian mission to help the people affected by the earthquake in Latakia. Now, in continuation of the signed Memorandum of Understanding, the Russian Red Cross has started the second humanitarian mission. This time we are planning to significantly expand the number of beneficiaries; during the mission we will distribute humanitarian aid 4 times as much as we did in March and we will provide health services, humanitarian aid and psychosocial support not only to people in Latakia itself but also in its suburbs and environs,” said RRC President Pavel Savchuk.
Besides, the Russian Red Cross has donated a mobile humanitarian aid center to the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. According to President of the RRC, “a similar mobile center has proven beneficial in Belgorod Region and during the first humanitarian mission of the Russian Red Cross team to Syria.”
“In Russia, our work is now concentrated around fires in the regions, and we continue to help people affected by the Ukrainian crisis - soon we will begin direct payments to residents of Belgorod region in the areas affected by the shelling. But we can already help at the international level when it comes to such large-scale disasters and tens of thousands of affected people. We are determined to continue working together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to meet the primary needs of those affected by humanitarian crises,” he said.
The Russian Red Cross delegation is comprised of 13 people including volunteer physicians, psychosocial support specialists and emergency response specialists. They will provide humanitarian assistance for two weeks to the people affected by the earthquake. In particular, they will distribute several tons of baby food among those who need it for children of different ages: from 0 to 6 months, from six months to one year, from one year to a year and a half and older.
“If last time we deployed a mobile aid center of the Russian Red Cross and worked in the "stationary" mode, now we are visiting suburbs of Latakia. People in the villages have also suffered and need help, not only humanitarian aid but also psychological care. In total, our mission will last two weeks. We have brought along various medical equipment items: blood pressure monitors, ultrasound machines, first aid kits, pulse oximeters, personal protective equipment, electrocardiography components, analyzers for the measurement of cholesterol, glucose, hemoglobin, etc,” said Alexey Pikul, Head of Disaster Management Department of the Russian Red Cross.
In addition, psychosocial support specialists of the Russian Red Cross will provide individual psychological counseling to the affected people and their loved ones. Not only adults but also children will be able to receive support.
The preparation and implementation of the Russian Red Cross mission has become possible thanks to the interaction with Rossotrudnichestvo (The Russian Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation), the governments of the Syrian Arab Republic and Latakia, and thanks to the support of Russian Railways.
The first humanitarian mission of the Russian Red Cross to the Syrian Arab Republic took place in March 2023. For half a month of work, the RRC team provided assistance to over 1,000 people in need. In particular, more than 330 people received medical care and nearly 800 received psychosocial support.
Two devastating earthquakes of 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude occurred on February 6, 2023 in the province of Kahramanmaras in southeastern Turkey. Tremors and aftershocks were also felt in neighboring countries, in particular in Syria.
