Qatar Charity urges continued support for its winter campaign

Tribune News Network Doha Refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their squatter camps are still in dire need of meeting their winter needs, in...

Tribune News NetworkDohaRefugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in their squatter camps are still in dire need of meeting their winter needs, in light of the continuing snow storms that many countries, including Syria and Lebanon, have recently experienced.Following receiving the aid from Qatar Charity, the refugees in Arsal, a Lebanese town on the border with Syria, and Syrian IDPs thanked the benefactors in Qatar for delivering the quick assistance, indicating that they are still in need of heating supplies and shelter assistance.In light of the continued snowfall, Syrian refugees are living in very problematic humanitarian conditions in Arsal, which has 120 camps housing nearly 70,000 Syrian refugees. A refugee camp supervisor affirmed that the situation in the camps of Arsal is very distressing, stating that many tents have been destroyed by the snow storms, and many widows, children and the elderly living in the camps can not withstand the extreme cold. He also thanked the benefactors in Qatar for supporting the refugees. Khadra Muhammad, a widow who lives as a refugee in an Arsal camp, says that this storm is very brutal, and the refugees are suffering from an acute shortage of heating supplies. She also noted that Qatar Charity is the organisation that reached and provided them with assistance fastest.“We feel very cold all the time,” says Yaseen, a 12-year-old child, who was shivering from the severe cold, noting the impact of snow storms on children. Meanwhile, the suffering of the IDPs in northern Syria continues to remain terrible amid the brutal reality of winter and poverty. Every rain and snow fall forces the IDPs to move from one place to another and from one tent to another for their survival.“I have never gone through such a suffering that we are experiencing now,” said Abu Bashar, an IDP, “This year’s winter is the worst ever, and our tents have fallen down over our heads, due to the heavy snowfall, while we were sleeping.”Abu Muhammad, another IDP, termed the situation as ‘very tragic’, hoping for continued support from benefactors in Qatar. “The wages we receive are not enough for the price of bread,” he added.As refugees and internally displaced persons are currently suffering from a harsher winter and heavy rain, frost and snow, Qatar Charity has urged benefactors in Qatar to donate to help the vulnerable. People can easily donate to the campaign through Qatar Charity’s website, app, branches and collection points located in malls and commercial centers, in addition to requesting for a ‘Home Collector’ and dialing 44667711 to donate.