About our Mission in Aleppo

Dom Wschodni Jun 5, 2024 107 0

Domus Orientalis and Caritas of Lodz are present in Syria since 2017. Our focus was from the beginning on Aleppo where we operate in the collaboration with Franciscans and it’s 3 units:

„Terre Sainte”
St Francis Church („Latin Parish”)
Monastery of Franciscan Sisters

In the First Phase (2017-2020) we focused on following:

a) With a „Terre Sainte”, support for:

Franciscan Care Center: trauma healing centre which provides complex support for over 350 children and youth affected by the war. We organised financial support and donation campaign for building the swimming pool in the Center.
Rehabilitation and Psychological Support Center of dr Binan Kayyali – since 2016 the Centre has been looking after 200 children with authism and Down syndrome
„Name and Future” – 2 Centres opened by Franciscans in East Aleppo supporting over 300 lonely mothers with ca. 500 kids who are a children of a rebel and jihadi fathers who died or fled leaving them without identity and future.

b) With a St Francis Church:

„Give a Job!” (restoration/support/opening of microbusinesses). Examples of the projects conducted:

- Fuad: equipment for a hairdressing salon

- Lina: restoration of the workshop and equipment of a destroyed bakery

- Kamil: financial support for buying a delivery truck

- Rolly: co-financing of florist's equipment

- George: electrical tools for his workshop

- Uaness: a coffee machine for his shop
„First Step” - in 2019 we launched a project to support kids from different confessions in gaining their education at the level of primary and secondary school. Until now we cover 320 kids.
Financial support for “Miriam” and “Maria”.

c) With sister franciscan’s monastery we supported of their tailor’s atelier – an important place where women, both Muslim and Christian receive a psychological support and course of tailoring and are able just to spend time together.

d) other projects: “Return of the Icons”, “Wojtek Helps”, “Syria Human Stories”, “Rosary for the Brothers”.

Second phase (2021-2022):

Due to the COVID and complicated political situation our Mission faced the difficulties to be developed but we continued “First Step” Programme. Together with a St Francis Church in Aleppo we also conducted a project called “Warmth for Syria” supporting 74 families with mazut for heating and 389 with a generator subscription.

Third phase (from the earthquake in February 2023):

In February 2023 we launched a project called “Solidarity with Aleppo” as an immediate response to the earthquake which took place in Southern Turkey and Northern Syria. Our partner in the project is a St Francis Parish in Aleppo. So far we were able to:

restore 5 destroyed apartments
conduct a medical project (funds came from Redemptoris Missio) which helped around 450 people to reduce costs of their medicines by 80% in the period of 3 months
provide 1400 kids with the school bags and school accessories (partly as a “First Step” Programme).
Launched a new project called “Second Step” - support for 150 students
Provide additional support for Atelier
To continue “Warmth For”