Lending a helping hand

The Bahrain Red Crescent Society (BRCS) has intensified its humanitarian efforts to help refugees in winter through distributing winter aid to around 350 refugee families from Syria residing in North Lebanon camps. The aid included winter essentials, such as blankets, clothes, heaters and food parcels after storms in Lebanon flooded Syrian refugee camps compounding the misery of people enduring powerful winter winds and biting cold. Dr Fawzi Amin, General Secretary of BRCS, explained that BRCS delegation in Akkar distributed winter aid in a humanitarian gesture that affirms the solidarity of Bahraini people with these refugees. Dr Fawzi praised the delegation’s initiatives including distributing games to kids, which “made them happy in the midst of sufferings”. Dr Fawzi noted the importance of BRCS keenness to intensify efforts of “Warm Hearts” Campaign launched in 2014, where heaters were distributed to hundreds of Syrian refugees at Lebanon. Both Bahraini government and Bahraini people have been offering unparalleled help to the Syrian refugees across the world. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recently declared that more than a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon are suffering from difficult living conditions, making relief aid a matter of life and death. Speaking to Tribune, Dr Fawzi said, “The initiative is a continuation of our support to the Syrian refugees. This year there were floods in the northern part of Lebanon at the Lebanon Syrian border, which destroyed many refugee camps. “Our eight-member team visited the refugee camp in Lebanon along with a few volunteers from Lebanon to appraise the situation. “In future, we are not only planning to help Syrian refugees but also providing help to the needy in countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh. “We are planning to visit almost 10 countries by the end of this year to provide aid and engage in voluntary work.”