ALEPPO, Feb 19 (NNN-SANA) – The powerful earthquake that jolted large areas along the Turkish-Syrian border, did not only bring destruction and death to Syria’s northern city of Aleppo, but also inflicted an indelible trauma on the survivors, especially the children.
The Abdul-Mutaleb school in Aleppo, has been made into a temporary shelter for around 450 survivors, 75 of whom are children. During a visit to the school, children were seen outside in the schoolyard, enjoying the warm sun, singing and dancing in groups. Some older ones were engaged in group games that kept their minds busy.
The atmosphere was filled with music and laughter, as the organisers tried to replace the bad experience with fun new memories.
Adham Bakr, a psychosocial support officer with UNICEF, said, psychological and social support services were something they had already been offering to local children, during the country’s civil war.
Following the earthquake, they began a programme called psychological first aid for children.
“We started the psychological first aid programme the very next day because the earthquake is a new kind of catastrophe for Syria and the children have been greatly traumatised,” Bakr said.
Safaa Saloura, leader of a local charity group, said that, many children had been isolating themselves after the earthquake, but she and her colleagues have succeeded in engaging with them through specially-designed activities. “We started seeing laughter on the faces of the children,” she noted.
Sana al-Kurdi, a schoolteacher, found herself seeking refuge in the same place where she works. The mother of two said that, when the earthquake hit, the first safe haven that came to mind was her workplace.
“My kids are releasing their stress and energy here with other kids. They stopped thinking about the earthquake, so this is a positive,” she said.
While al-Kurdi was familiar with the school and felt comfortable there, she still hoped her stay would be brief and the family would be able to return home after repairs were made. “I made friends here. People are helping each other. But normal life should return,” the teacher said.
The Syrian Health Ministry said that, the final death toll from the earthquake stands at 1,414, while the number of injured people reached 2,357. The ministry’s count of quake casualties only includes the quake-hit areas under government control.
Last Monday, a UN relief agency said, 4,300 deaths and 7,600 injuries caused by the quake had been reported in the rebel-held areas, in north-western Syria.
Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights showed, the quake killed about 7,000 people in both Syria’s government- and rebel-held areas.– NNN-SANA
