Raqqa : a tender lab for displaced Syrians

The country’s current crisis pushed Syrian citizens to be displaced from their hot cities and towns to the other calm and stable cities. Raqqa city, 425km northeast of Damascus, became a shelter for hundreds of thousands of Syrians who were displaced from the neighboring governorates of Homs, Idleb, Deir Ezzour and Aleppo.

In a short tour in the city, visitors can notice the long queues on private and public bakeries, main markets and governmental departments. The Governorate of Raqqa’s officials were very welcome to any displaced Syrians and ready to solve their problems and meet their demands. The governorate’s official departments opened their offices for displaced families to offer them the same services offered to Raqqa’ inhabitants, the officials said to the Syria Times.

Fawaz al-Assaf , a volunteer activist from at the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) said in an interview with the Syria Times  that the registered families in Raqqa’s SARC’s branch reached to fifty thousand families on helping lists. 

According to Assaf , the Governorate of Raqqa witnesses three stages of displaced Syrian families.  The first stage started with the beginning of 2012, when the city welcomed 2800 families who mostly came from Homs, Dara’a, Hama, Damascus Countryside and Idlib. The families were supported and backed with food baskets from the SARC.

The second stage started in June, when the number of families increased to 10.000 registered families mostly displaced from Deir Ezour city , 160 km eastern of Raqqa, and its villages. The governmental departments and organizations started a big sheltering campaign and opened the state-run schools, Vanguards Camp, state-run housing complexes, popular organizations’ buildings and each empty governmental building to host the displaced families.

Most of Dier Ezour’s residents have relatives in Raqqa and they got hosting from their relatives’ houses. Hundreds of people had hosted one or two families from Deir Ezour to offer them free food, garments, and basic needs.

“I have relatives in Dier Ezour and welcomed three families in my simple house , offering them what they need. We cannot leave our relatives to be homeless without offering them any help. We are Syrians and should stand with each other in these hard days,” said Yusuf Da’ayes , a press officer in the Governorate.

“I was saving some money for my son’s marriage, but I spent everything to host my relatives from Deir Ezour. Many families in Raqqa did the same.” Added Yusuf Da’ayes

The displaced families from Deir Ezour could quickly merge in Raqqa’s society and begin new life. Many of them could open new shops and find jobs to support their families. Hundreds of them bought houses and shops to invest their savings and gold.

I met with Abou Mohammad, 50 years old, from Deir Ezour city, who said to Syria Times:

“I came to Raqqa running away from the terrorist armed groups who kill us and destroy our houses. I lost everything in Deir Ezour and want to begin new life in Raqqa. I bought a small house and think to open a new business. I should keep my life not sit at home and cry as women. Syrians are strong people and they will overpass this crisis.”

The third stage of displacing began in the mid of July , when residents of Aleppo ran away from the armed terrorist groups and gangs which attack the city of Aleppo and frighten the peaceful citizens. The number of registered families reached to 20.000.

The governmental departments with help from SARC could host 4115 displaced families in 173 Sheltering Centers in the cities of Raqqa and Al-Thawra. The families got hot meals, canned food, kitchen tools and all of their needs. SARC opened tow health centers to offer free healthcare services, including free medicine for the displaced families in addition to the state-own hospitals and health centers.

According to Dr. Ahmid al-Izzo, who is a volunteer in SARC, the biggest number of families are living in Raqqa’s rent houses or at their relatives and friends’ houses.

“ I can say most of the displaced families are living with local citizens , just ten to fifteen percent is hiring houses. The SARC are presenting a 30-kg food basket each month to the registered families who also got kitchen and healthcare baskets. There are some charities which offer food and staff to the displaced families who left their houses without brining anything.”

The SARC also helped to rehabilitate fifty schools, out of 150 schools, are hosting displaced families. The project aims to build cold, hot and drinking water tanks and networks. The project will cover all schools in the near future.”

Obeida al-Mohammad  and Inas Abdulkareem

Photos : Yasin Hosin