WINTER THE BIGGEST THREAT
Harsh weather conditions, flimsy shelters put lives of children in conflict zone at risk
ITOSSED and turned in bed that first night in Arsal, Lebanon, during our emergency mission there. The extremely cold weather required me to sleep in my winter jacket and the thickest socks that i brought, along with my woollen cap and thick gloves.
It was the first time that I experiencing such low temperatures. To make things worse, the gas heater stopped functioning in the middle of the night. It felt as if I had been stuffed into a refrigerator. Despite the fatigue of having travelled 24 hours, I just couldn’t fall asleep.
I could hear strong winds outside and felt alarmed. Never in my 50 years had I heard such strong winds. “You are in a brick house. You’re safe,” I kept reminding myself. But at the same time, I couldn’t help thinking about the hundreds of thousands of refugees living in nylon shelters around the area.
I got up and went to the front door. I opened it slightly. A gust of wind rushed in and almost threw me to the floor. I quickly closed the door, then tried my best to snuggle under the blanket and finally fell asleep.
Early the next morning, I went outside to catch the view around the house where we were staying. It had been dark when we arrived in Arsal the night before.
A majestic mountain sat in front of our house. Covered with snow from top to bottom, it was a beautiful sight. But just that instant for in front of me were rows and rows of canvas shelters. I couldn’t imagine how they had survived the strong winds from the night before or the snow storm that had hit prior to our arrival.
For us in Malaysia, travelling to a foreign land in winter is usually for fun and leisure. We would go equipped with the best clothing we could find to keep us warm. Yet for millions of Syrian refugees, winter can come as a death threat.
News of frozen babies have circulated for so many years, it’s unbearable. It breaks my heart to imagine what they had to endure during their last hours of life.
What the parents had to face is unimaginable — trying to save your child from the cold, but finding them frozen and dead.
An incident during our trip to Arsal comes to mind. We were out to distribute aid at a camp that early January morning. Just then, a blizzard started. This camp situated up on a hill was already covered with thick snow.
As soon as I stepped out of the van, I saw a man standing in front of his makeshift shelter. I was drawn to him as he was holding a child. As I got closer, I saw the young boy was wearing a light sweater and his feet were bare.
I touched one of his feet and it was as cold as ice. Tears ran down my cheeks and I looked at our team members and exclaimed: “He’s not even wearing a sock!” There I was, standing in front of them with four layers of thermal shirts and a thick coat that could withstand weather as low as minus 20°C, yet I was still cold.
I rubbed my hands on his tiny feet to give him some warmth. My colleague passed me a jacket that we had brought and I put it on him. I will never be able to erase that memory.
In Syria, the experience was almost the same. Nine years of war have displaced millions of families across Syria and surrounding countries. After losing their home and all the comforts, they are living in tents or flimsy shelters made of old carpets and rugs, wood, metal and canvas, which provide little or no relief at all from the harsh weather conditions.
Their lives are at risk. With temperatures predicted to drop to freezing and below in some areas, it is estimated that 1.3 million Syrian children will be in danger. They urgently need thermal blankets and winter clothing to protect them from the cold.
With the support of Syria Care as a humanitarian organisation determined to provide for them during these hard times, they have received warm clothing, thermal blankets and food needed to keep them safe and warm throughout the winter.