Syrians heal the wounds of earthquake-affected children
Aleppo, Lattakia, SANA- Despite of the painful scenes of death and destruction that the world has followed up via the TV channels and the social media websites due to the devastative earthquake, struck Syria on February 6, the world is still witnessing further spectacular stories about the courage, altruism and extending help to the affected Syrians in the afflicted provinces that constitute an inspiring example of humanity and reflect ethical values to be followed.
Although the catastrophe of the earthquake caused the death of 1414 persons and the injury of 2357 others, according to the statistics of the Health Ministry in Syria, including victims from different ages, but the children who survived and were fortunate to keep their life constituted the hardest-hit segment due to the negative psychological effects they have exposed to due to the scale of the disaster, but thanks to the efforts and aid of the people who surrounded them, a glimmer of hope has emerged in their lives.
Several humanitarian stories have shaken the conscience and captured the hearts when talking about children who have lost their families or whose families have been severely injured by the earthquake. Those children have bravely risen once again thanks to the support and assistance of their relatives, neighbors and friends who were filled with humanity, love and solidarity to assure to the entire world that the Syrian mosaic who was emerged from the core of disaster will be able to overcome all difficulties and plights to draw better future.
One of those stories was the story of children Mohammad and Ahmad Obaji from Aleppo, and Mrs. Um Mohammad who takes care of them with all love and kindness while their mother stays at another hospital due to her critical injury to reflect the highest types of human relationships that connect the members of the Syrian society.
Mrs. Um Mohammad comes from al-Bab area in Aleppo countryside, she stayed at the Hospital to take care of her child who stayed at Aleppo university Hospital. Um Mohammad Told SANA reporter that due to the long period she has spent in the Hospital, she noticed that Mohammad and his brother have no one to take care of them as their mother is staying at another hospital and their father was critically injured. So she felt with responsibility towards them and starts to take care of them.
She added that “the little boy, 5 years old, who suffers from autism disease, is closely linked to her as if she was his mother, so she started to exchange feelings with his and considered him as if he was her son, she is cleaning and giving food to him.
She is also taking care of the elder boy, although he is often unconscious.
She stressed that her stance towards the two kids represents the Syrian people’s unity and solidarity.
In Lattakia, during SANA’s reporter’s visit to Abu Mustafa family displaced from Idleb countryside, the family adopted their relative, the child Amir, whose family died in the earthquake, while he and his 16-year-old brother Adel, who had a broken leg, survived
The father said that they take this decision out of their sense of responsibility and human duty towards Amir, stressing that Amir has become a member of his family and will not abandon him.
The mother, in turn, said that by adopting Amir, she embodies her only sister’s family stressing that she derives patience and strength from him.
She noted that she takes Amir continuously to see his brother Adel, as he was in the hospital, and is waiting for him to fully recover, to bring them together in the future.
The psychologist, Nisreen Abass noted to the psychological effects resulting from the child’s loss of one or both of his parents and how to help him overcome them, adding that they need help to teach them the right way to express his pains, deal with and recover from them.
Abass instructed to encourage the child to know more about his feelings and express them either by drawing or by using other means such as browsing photos or telling stories about the deceased person.
The Higher Committee for Relief in Syria issued a report showing the number of the recorded affected families as a result of the earthquake amounted to 91794 families, whose number of their members reached 414,304.
The number of buildings that are not safe to return to and cannot be supported reached 4,444 buildings, and those need reinforcements are estimated at 29,751, and that need maintenance are 30,113 buildings, according to the report.
