“City of Hope” was built and opened this week in the northern Syrian region of Azaz and is ready to accommodate 10.000 people.
The humanitarian project, which will provide a new home for displaced Syrians, was launched by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and the organization Qatar Charity. A settlement with all the necessary facilities for families displaced during the civil war has been built in the Azaz province.
“City of Hope” is located in the village of Tukli, near Azaz, and its construction will provide shelter for families currently living in extremely difficult conditions in the Bab al-Salam refugee camp.
Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in 2011, millions of Syrians have been displaced within the country, while many have fled abroad. Those displaced within Syria mostly live in overcrowded refugee camps in the north of the country.
“City of Hope” spans 280 hectares and includes 1.400 housing units. Of these, 1.200 units are 50 square meters each, and 200 units are 100 square meters each.
The settlement will feature a mosque, schools, a kindergarten, a community and sports center, a clinic, a marketplace… Families who have lived for years in makeshift tents are moving into fully equipped homes in the “City of Hope.”
Delegations from Turkey and Qatar attended the opening of the complex, led by Turkish Deputy Minister of the Internal AffairsMunir Karaoglu, Qatari Minister of Cooperation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, and the Director General for Global and Humanitarian Affairs of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Korhan Karakoc.
Karaoglu recalled the assistance Turkey has provided in many areas, “from shelter to humanitarian aid, from education to healthcare across Syria,” and added that “‘City of Hope,’ which we are opening today, is the most concrete example of our activities.”
IHH Secretary-General Durmus Aydin said that this humanitarian organization has stood by the Syrian people since the beginning of the civil war.
“Today, we are here to open our ‘City of Hope,’ which is a symbol of hope and solidarity. The crisis that began in Syria in 2011 has profoundly affected the lives of millions of people since then. However, we have never abandoned the Syrian people. Today, we are here with Qatar Charity. We are happy to bring to life a new and most extensive project,” Aydin said yesterday, AA writes.
Photo: Anadolu Agency