In words of Fr Simo Zakerian, Middle East Provincial: “One of the most beautiful things that happened was the correspondence: it was a very familiar and beautiful response that involved the whole Congregation: all the families, all the centres, all the Mission Offices coming to the meeting regarding this emergency. This gave a sense of family, trust and joy despite the suffering, for all our young people and the Salesian Family, because they felt supported by so many brothers and sisters who are thinking of them in prayer and offer material and psychological support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Another important fact was the immediate action taken by the Province, fortunately the Provincial at the time, Fr Alejandro León, was making the canonical visit in Syria and he coordinated the emergency directly, which allowed to mobilise funds immediately.
In his message in February 2023, Fr Alejandro shared: It's been 3 very difficult days: talking a little bit about numbers, the first night 300 people were here to sleep; the second night it was 420 and now, as of nine o'clock in the evening, more than 500 people are seeking asylum. To everyone we are saying, 'Welcome,' this is the house of the Salesians, the Church is God’s house and it is everyone’s house.
As well, despite the speed of the resources mobilised, a lot of local in-kind donations were received from the Syrian people in Damascus, who despite having almost nothing, shared their goods with their brothers and sisters in Aleppo and Kafroun. This phenomenon meant that the many international funds lasted even longer, and that our joint efforts had a bigger impact reaching more victims.
You can download the final report in English at the final of this article. Versions in other languages are being prepared by the Middle East PDO and DBN. Please contact them in This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to have access to them.
