Voluntary Activities Carried Out in Several Syrian Provinces Marking International Volunteer Day
DAMASCUS, (ST)- Marking International Volunteer Day (IVD), the Syria Trust for Development in cooperation with more than 100 voluntary teams and associations in Damascus, Lattakia, Tartous and Aleppo on Saturday carried out a voluntary work day under the slogan “Our Country is Our responsibility”.
The voluntary activities included cleaning the roads, beatifying the gardens and assisting the traffic police personnel and bakeries’ workers in several areas in the four mentioned Syrian provinces.
In Damascus, the media coordinator of the voluntary day Lubna al-Sheikh told SANA news agency that the event is a message stressing to the whole world that despite all challenges and hardships, the Syrians will continue to work and made social voluntary initiatives that serves the homeland’s development and enhance the Syrian youths’ contribution to help the homeland recover from its crisis.
Amjad Ali and Zeyad al-Halabi from “Damascus Voluntary Team” said their participation in cleaning the roads of Damascus emerges from their faith that voluntary work stimulates more initiatives that reflects positively on all aspects of life in the country. They affirmed that the aim of the campaign is to urge cooperation among the Syrians and to stress the idea that cleanness is the responsibility of all.
Volunteer Marwan Hreith, a Political Sciences student, believes that the coming era necessitates more efforts to rebuild Syria. “This makes disseminating the culture of volunteering and team work a necessity to allow all the Syrians to participate in the development of their country,” Hreith said, pointing out that voluntary work helped him feel his positive and effective role in society.
Suleima Owdeh, another university student, said such voluntary activities prove that the Syrians are united hand in hand to achieve progress in their homeland.
In Tartous, Coordinator of the Syria Trust for Development Yamen Mou’alla said voluntary activities consolidate people’s sense of responsibility towards the environment and society of their country. He added that the event witnessed wide participation by humanitarian organizations as well as civil society and official parties including the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society, the National Union of Syrian Students and the Patriarchate of Antioch and All East for Greek Orthodox in addition to several charity associations and social clubs.
In Aleppo, Director of the Syria Trust for Development’s Department of Operation Support in the northern area Jan Mghames clarified that more than 200 volunteers from 10 civil society associations and organizations took part in voluntary work day.
According to the Syria Trust’s Operations Director in the coastal area Hani Akleh said that some 290 volunteers took part in the event, stressing that such voluntary works fill the gaps made in some work sites.
The world celebrates International Volunteer Day on December 5th in appreciation of the volunteers’ efforts and to reactivate their role in UN agencies and no-government organizations and to help these voluntary activities contribute to development programs.
Hamda Mustafa