Free Homes For Syria’s Displaced

Jamal and his family were left homeless after Russian air strikes targeted his village of Kfar Nabuda in Hama’s western countryside.

Their house in ruins, the 42 year-old, his wife and four children embarked on a long and distressing search to find shelter elsewhere.

“We left Kfar Nabuda and went from one village to another in search of a house to rent, but our displacement had left us poor and we couldn’t afford anything,” Jamal told Damascus Bureau.

When Jamal heard of a residential project in Kfar Nabel housing displaced families, he decided to give it a try.

When they arrived in Kfar Nabel, Jamal’s family first found refuge in an empty basement unfit for human inhabitation.

Jamal went in search of the housing project and was directed towards the Al-Huda charitable organisation. He visited its offices and registered with a staff member who came to inspect the basement where he and his family were living.

“The following day I was contacted by the organisation and asked to pay them a visit. A staff member took me to a residential compound which appeared to be a new-build, and gave me the key to a small flat,” Jamal said.

The flat comprised of one furnished room, a bathroom and a kitchen, and Jamal and his family were delighted.

“I felt that a heavy burden had been lifted off my shoulders. Not only were we no longer homeless, the flat was offered to us rent free,” he said.

The residential compound where Jamal was housed was inaugurated in early 2014.

The director of the Al-Huda project, Mohammad al-Hajir, told Damascus Bureau that they aimed to accommodate as many displaced families as possible.

“Al-Huda launched two residential projects, one in Kfar Nabel and one in the village of Maar Zeita,” he said.

“Each project comprises of six buildings with eight flats and one mosque. Flats have either one or two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom, and are allocated to applicants according to the size of their families,” the 45 year-old said.

A displaced family wishing to move in to one of these flats must submit evidence that their home has been destroyed and that they are struggling financially. Most of those currently benefiting from the projects are from Idlib’s countryside and Hama’s western and northern countryside.

Al-Hajir said that the Maar Zeita residential project had been targeted by Russian aircraft on December 25, 2015, but thankfully none of the buildings were damaged.   

A similar project to house displaced families in Kfar Nabel was launched by the Al-Wafa charitable organisation. Two residential compounds there are already nearing completion.

Hadia Mansour is the pseudonym of a Damascus Bureau contributor from Idlib, Syria.

Read the Arabic version of this article here