Palestinians begin aid campaign to build homes for Syrian refugees
February 14, 2022, 6:31 pm

Palestinians begin aid campaign to build homes for Syrian refugees

Brutal winter-Syrian refugees/Facebook

Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Gaza Strip and across occupied Palestine have raised $10 million in less than a month to build homes for Syrian refugees.

Ibrahim Khalil, 33, a social activist from the city of Nazareth in northern occupied Palestine, said: "The idea was to collect 100 heaters for 100 houses. Then we found out that people are helping and we have lots of stuff."

According Asharq Al-Awsat, for the past six years, Palestinians have been donating food and other essentials to Syrian refugees in the Idlib region bordering Turkey through a non-profit group called Merciful Souls.

But the volume of donations this winter season was unprecedented, said Raed Badr, the head of the organization. He believes videos that circulated on social media of children suffering from cold in the snow motivated people to open their pockets.

"One day, I hope they will move us into a home because the rain is drowning our tents," said 11-year-old Nada, an orphaned girl living with her grandmother, in one video.

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The plan is to build around 3,000 housing units, said Badr. Construction will also include clinics and schools, based on a model published on the organization's website.

A call for contributions went viral on social media with the Arabic hashtag "houses instead of tents".

The images of displaced families resonated with Palestinians because they had suffered as refugees living in tents for years, said Khalil, after they were forced from their homes or fled in the war that surrounded Israel's creation in 1948.

Prominent figures attack Syrian government for failure to provide heating

The war in Syria, which spiraled out of an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule in 2011, caused the world's biggest refugee crisis. The war has killed an estimated half a million people and displaced several million more.

Source: aawsat

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”