Moms knit winter clothes for children in Syria, Afghanistan

NEARLY 200 Turkish mothers have organized to knit skullcaps, gloves, kerchiefs, sweaters and vests for children living in harsh winter conditions in Syria and Afghanistan.

The moms who gathered at the Humanitarian Relief Foundation’s (IHH) office in Turkey’s eastern Elazığ province launched a campaign called “Winter freezes and we warm” to help needy children in Syria and Afghanistan.

The women supporting the campaign get together at the Public Education Center in the province’s Baskil district and work tirelessly to weave for the children in the war-torn countries, as some women contribute to the campaign from their homes due to the COVID-19 pandemic measures.

After a two-month-long campaign, 2,500 children in Syria and Afghanistan will get their handmade clothes.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), İHH official Edanur Özdemir said that they kicked off the efforts after seeing that many children do not even have socks to wear.

Saying that they encountered fathers who stood guard at night so that their children would not freeze, Özdemir added that women are also working hard to help needy people in the war-torn countries.

“We are happy that we can send these clothes to the children there. We are working tirelessly to reach every needy family,” she said.

The official also added that clothes are immediately dispatched after completion and that they have sent clothes enough for 700 children to the camps in Afghanistan and Syria so far.

Qualified instructor at the Public Education Center in Baskil, Seher Çalışır also said that the institution also supports the cause.

“Our trainees, leaving their own work behind, support the campaign too,” she said.

“We are doing everything we can so that children won’t freeze.”