THE Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting unstable economy have not stopped Malaysians from donating to war-torn Syria, said aid organisations.

Several local humanitarian groups told The Malaysian Insight they have managed to send large containers carrying basic goods and clothing to Syria despite the virus outbreak that has hit the world for almost a year.

They said their work continued despite the many lockdowns and uncertainties with the local economy.

Global Peace Mission Malaysia (GPMM) CEO Ahmad Fahmi Samsudin said their mission is still ongoing (despite the pandemic) with a team already in Syria.

“It is winter now, so we are taking winter clothes for the Syrians.

“These are all donations from Malaysians. They donate winter clothes, basic necessities for the children, such as diapers and milk. There is also stuff for the men and women.”

“The donations keep coming in and we have not stopped our campaigns because of the support we have been receiving from the public,” he said.

The civil war in Syria, which started in 2011 following a chain of street demonstrations against president Bashar Al-Assad, has displaced tens of thousands of Syrians.

Many are now living in camps scattered all over the country after their homes were destroyed in the fighting between rebel or militant group and the regime.

Fahmi said GPMM had been sending aid to Syrians since the beginning of the war.

“I think as early as 2012, about a year after the war broke out, we began sending goods to Syria,” he said.

“From there, we came up with humanitarian campaigns urging the public to help us so that we could in turn help the Syrians, especially children who were caught in the war.”

He told The Malaysian Insight there are currently eight volunteers from GPMM in Syria.

“They arrived in January and they will stay for a month. They need to be quarantined so that will take some time.

“Then they need to sort the goods and distribute it to various camps,” he said.

Fahmi said working under strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) during a global pandemic is a huge challenge.

“It is not as easy as before. We need to be very careful. Things we touch and things we wear. We take serious measures.”

“We abide by the quarantine. Because if we get infected, chances of us infecting others are high. We do not want to infect the already troubled people in Syria, so we need to be extra careful.

“A lot of measures must be adhered to and it can be a hassle. Unlike, before where you can go straight to the camps upon arrival,” he said.

Malaysia for Syria (MFS), which has links to GPMM, shared similar sentiments.

Spokesman Zahiya Imran said contributions from Malaysians continued despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We got a lot of winter clothes. Maybe because the public can no longer travel abroad so they decide to donate their clothes for the needy,” she said.

“All of the campaigns are online. Those who wish to contribute can send their package to us via mail or by drop-off.

“We abide by strict SOP. We want to minimise contact. MFS itself has sent aid to Syria on 10 occasions.”

Both Fahmi and Zahiya, however, have not met any Malaysians stranded in humanitarian camps in Syria.

Malaysian men who had joined the Islamic State terror group are in various prisons in Syria, while their wives and children are placed in humanitarian camps.

The Malaysian government has not been able to repatriate them as the factions handling the prisons and camps are not affiliated to the Syrian government.

Local humanitarian organisation MyCARE told The Malaysian Insight that they collected half a million ringgit worth of donations from the public for its winter campaign.

MyCARE spokesman Nor Fadzeela Mohamad said for last year’s Ramadan campaign, MyCARE collected RM545,700.

“We have a few campaigns, like the MyRamadan, MyKorban for eid and MyWinter campaign. We are still providing and sending aid during the pandemic. We are working with a Syria-based civil society group at the moment.

“For the recent campaign, we collected RM572,000 in donations. We have distributed food, and other types of goods for their daily use,” said Fadzeela.

She said for the past year during the pandemic, MyCARE had distributed aid worth RM1.18 million.

“For the pandemic alone we manage to collect more than a million ringgit,” she said.

“We bought medical supplies, masks, hand sanitisers and other necessities for families in the camps,” Fadzeela added. – February 17, 2021.