A Syrian hello - Marhaban!

Greetings from Aleppo! 

Steve and I arrived safely and easily to Damascus on Tuesday 18th, thanks to a very helpful driver who assisted us with navigating all the bureaucracy at the border, both out of Lebanon and then into Syria, several miles further along the road. The flights from Birmingham to Istanbul and then to Beirut were great, and by the way, Middle East Airlines is fantastic, especially the safety video which was extremely entertaining. The road travel was interesting – this is a completely new part of the world for me, with lots of craggy hills, olive trees, and the occasional horse-drawn cart. The road from the border into Syria is relatively unscathed, and in Damascus itself, you would not know there had been trouble in recent years. The temperature is pretty warm (hovering around 40°C), and we are grateful to be staying in a hotel (for now) with fairly constant electricity to keep the AC going. 

We were initially based in the Medair Damascus office, which is just across from a lovely small park, and 2 doors away from a great lunch place where you can buy a tasty chicken wrap and a handful of salad. The apartment we stayed in with another colleague is about 5 doors down from the office, and we had some fantastic dinners with Dorette, Matt and Kudzi (the other international staff currently in Damascus), once at a restaurant in the old town on Straight Street (of Acts 9 fame). I actually found going there really moving – being in the very same place where Paul started his journey as a Christian.

Straight Street, Damascus

The team in Damascus is super friendly, and although there is some cross over with terminology and processes from our time in South Sudan, the context and style of working is quite different. There are around 22 people based in the Damascus office, implementing work around the south and west of the country, and also providing support to the other 2 Medair offices in Syria. One is in Aleppo in the northwest (where we are now working), and the other office is in Deir-Ez Zor in the east of the country.

Now we are in Aleppo, working with a team of around 16 staff many of whom have been recruited since the earthquakes in February to deliver emergency response aid. So far, Steve has visited a project which is rehabilitating a water network (i.e. pipes) which was damaged during the earthquake and will serve 15,000 people. Other initatives include distributing necessary items to people, assessing the homes of those who are living in damaged buildings to arrange repairs, working with health clinics and hospitals in restoring factilites and training staff, restoring water systems and facilities, and giving out cash or vouchers for immediate relief from poverty. 

Visiting the water system project

Steve's role as Project Coordinator is already getting busy - he will be overseeing the Aleppo team, with particular emphasis on the ‘programming’ (the actual delivery of Medair’s humanitarian work) in Aleppo and surrounding areas. There are a lot of projects running, with tight deadlines according to donor funding, and there is a steep learning curve. As the Project Support Manager, I’ll be working alongside the HR, Finance and Logistics teams, underpinning the programming.

We've been struck by the hospitality and generosity of people here - we have been taken out for dinner (and ice creams) several times, and eaten so many delicious cookies and cakes brought in by colleagues. Despite considerable change and suffering over the last 12 years, the Syrians we have met so far are incredibly friendly and generous, and it has been a pleasure getting to know them just a little bit

Friday evening with Besher, Abdulkader & Matia

Aleppo itself is a big and interesting city with tons of history, quite run down following 12 years of war, a collapsed economy and now the earthquakes. Lots of buildings are damaged, and it is not always easy to work out what happened. Talking to colleagues, everyone in the city is suffering because it is now largely impossible to get the kind of jobs which were available pre-war, and earning potential has seriously plummetted. 

It is a real privilege and joy to be here, and we look forward to getting to know people and places here over the next year. Thank you for reading, please do send us an email or message and stay in touch.

Lindsay & Steve x