DAMASCUS, SYRIA — On Thursday (29/3/2023), the Dompet Dhuafa humanitarian team under the coordination of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has successfully arrived at Kedutaan Besar RI, Damaskus, Suriah (the Indonesian Embassy, Damascus, Syria). They include Rama Adi Wibowo, Ahmad Pranggono Haris, and Ahmad Riza Muthohar. Previously, Wednesday (28/3/2023), the team landed at Amman Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan, to then continue the road trip across the Naseeb-Jaber Border, Jordan-Syria.
The Indonesian Ambassador in Syria, Wajid Fauzi welcomed the Dompet Dhuafa humanitarian team well. The conversation was very warm between Dompet Dhuafa and the Indonesian Embassy in Syria. Among the discussions was related to the process and flow that must be carried out to immediately distribute bantuan kemanusiaan bagi warga Suriah (humanitarian aid to Syrians) affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake last month.
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Rama Adi, as Senior Officer Advocacy of Dompet Dhuafa, expressed his gratitude for the welcome and cooperation from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, especially the Indonesian Embassy in Syria and also the Indonesian Embassy in Jordan. According to him, the Indonesian Embassy was very helpful for Dompet Dhuafa in the smooth running of that humanitarian mission. With an escort by embassies from both countries, Dompet Dhuafa was able to reach Damascus smoothly.
Rama continued, previously Dompet Dhuafa had also been to Syria to carry out the same mission, namely humanitarian missions. At that time in 2017, Dompet Dhuafa distributed assistance in the form of procurement of ambulance unit service fleets.
“So this is the second time Dompet Dhuafa has come for Syrians. In the assistance this time, Dompet Dhuafa will distribute the first phase of aid in the form of thousands of food packages for the earthquake victims,” he said.
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The Indonesian Embassy had also coordinated with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) partner of goodness, regarding what was needed by survivors, as well as the location of aid distribution. Among them were ready-to-eat packaged foods and basic foodstuff.
According to the Indonesian Ambassador in Syria, Wajid Fauzi, the arrival of Dompet Dhuafa at this time was very timely.
“Dompet Dhuafa came, I think the time is very right. Looking at the phase of handling the earthquake in Syria, the search phase for victims is now finished. However, the emergency phase is still ongoing,” he explained.
The emergency phase is divided into two. First is the completed victim search phase. Then the second phase, which is currently underway, is the recovery phase with the distribution of basic assistance for refugees. This phase will last until May. In this phase, Dompet Dhuafa will distribute aid in the form of basic necessities.
“The Indonesian Embassy has carried out a response that we focus on in 2 (two) badly impacted provinces. That is in Aleppo and Latakia where a lot of buildings were destroyed, houses were destroyed, schools were destroyed, health clinics were destroyed. Meanwhile, the refugees live in refugee shelters,” the Ambassador continued to describe the earthquake situation he had visited some time ago.
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Furthermore, Dompet Dhuafa and the Indonesian Embassy in Syria are also assisted by SARC and local volunteers who will prepare aid packages. As soon as for the next 2 days, thousands of packages will be ready, and ready to be sent to Aleppo and Latakia. The Indonesian Embassy in Syria also undertakes that it will always be willing to help strive for a smooth process of assistance until it reaches the hands of the victims.
“Right now all we can do is send aid to them in the form of basic necessities. We understand the purpose of Dompet Dhuafa here is to bring good trust from the people of Indonesia, from the donors. We are trying to make this as good and efficient as possible, the aid is able to reach the right target,” concluded Wajid. (Dompet Dhuafa/Muthohar)