Volunteer youth bring hope to patients, doctors in Syrian capital

By Omer Koparan and Aynur Seyma Asan

DAMASCUS, Syria (AA) – After the Baath regime's fall in Syria, young volunteers in Damascus united to support torture survivors and their doctors by preparing hot meals with limited resources.

Gathering in a house in the Mezze neighborhood in southern Damascus, the volunteers cook meals using only the available resources.

The prepared meals are distributed to patients recovering from the physical and psychological effects of torture in Bashar al-Assad regime prisons and to the doctors providing their care.

The volunteers distribute hot meals to around 750 people daily at Damascus State Hospital, as well as at Al-Mouwasat, Mujtahid, and Ibn al-Nafees hospitals.

Previously, the same group had come together to clean the streets of the city with their own means.

One of the volunteers, Sare Ashur, told Anadolu that they cook and distribute hot meals to doctors and patients.

“We celebrated and rejoiced when the Assad regime fell,” she said, adding: “After cleaning the streets with our friends, we now focus on cooking and distributing food.”

“Our priority is helping those released from prisons recover their health as soon as possible. If we unite, our country will rise again,” she expressed.

Another volunteer, Nur Semiha, emphasized the importance of doing everything possible for their country: “I know how to cook, so I help by making meals.”

“There are many patients in hospitals who came from prisons,” she lamented, adding: “I contribute by preparing food to support them.”

Bashar Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8 after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus. The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters captured key cities across the country in a swift offensive that lasted less than two weeks.

Since the uprising began in March 2011, the fallen Baath regime reportedly tortured and killed thousands. However, it is feared that the undocumented numbers reach tens of thousands.

According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), regime forces detained at least 1.2 million Syrians during the civil war and subjected them to various torture methods.

*Writing by Merve Berker