Ghouta- South African aid organisation Gift of the Givers said this week, Syrians affected by “genocide” in the country’s Ghouta region have been forced to eat cats to survive.
The organisation is pleading for urgent assistance, the organisation’s founder Imtiaz Sooliman said that the residents of Ghouta have been “battling to survive” for the past three years.
Sooilman said, “The unfolding genocide in Ghouta requires a rapid response to feed malnourished children‚ to ‘ease’ the hardship of a civilian population decimated by relentless bombing and to save life to the extent it is possible‚ given the total blockade of the area.
“We have voice notes from [Ghandour] talking about the hardship of people inside Ghouta who have been battling to survive in the last three years. They ate plants and foliage‚ then in winter when there was no foliage they had to eat cats to survive. They have no income and no means to feed their families.”
The only option left for the organisation is to send cash, as many aid groups can not send food or medical supplies to the area, after the Syrian government blocked aid from many organisations.
“Head of Gift of the Givers Dr Ahmad Ghandour says the organisation has their own hospital called Gift of the Givers Ar Rahma Hospital in Darkoush‚ to assist the Syrian population. Syria‚ “Gift of the Givers has found a way to assist. The only option is to send cash‚ which is used to purchase food and medical items at very highly inflated prices. But there is no other option‚” said Sooliman.
“We have a very reliable arrangement with a key medical person inside Ghouta‚ who is Dr Ghandour. This professor has been instrumental in coordinating medical and humanitarian relief in Ghouta for some time now.”
Photo Credit- cnn.com
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