Around 1500 Dutch evangelical communities come to aid of Syrian Christians

Supported by the Middle East Council of Churches a "restoration fund for social services" and "damaged infrastructure" has been created. The goal is to contribute to the restoration of local communities, places of worship, schools. According to UN estimates, 69% of Syrians live in conditions of extreme poverty. Young people and professionals who fled abroad.

Beirut (AsiaNews) - About 1,500 communities of the Evangelical Church of the Netherlands have decided to respond to a "special appeal for the recovery of the Christian communities in Syria", and for the resumption of their religious and social services in the different regions of the country.

In response to the request, with the support of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), a "Restoration fund for religious-inspired social services and religious infrastructures damaged during the crisis in Syria" was created, as explained by a note from the secretariat with based in Beirut.

The announcement came in the context of a conference call that brought together representatives from Kerk in Actie (KiA) - Pays-Bas (Church in action - Netherlands), donors of an aid program, participating churches and senior officials from the general secretariat of the Middle East Council of Churches in Beirut. The postponement of the official launch of the program, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, has not however prevented its implementation from a practical and technical point of view, albeit remotely.

Its aim is to contribute to the re-establishment of local communities, restoring and restructuring their places of worship, as well as their schools, their dispensaries and other community installations damaged by the conflict. This is combined with the intention of ensuring the return of displaced populations to their places of origin, or to workplaces and schools.

Samer Laham, regional director of the MECC diaconia department, made the practical announcement of the launch of the program in Beirut; aid from the new fund, he explains, will benefit all the Churches of Syria without any discrimination, in the form of a majority share in the costs of the reconstruction or restructuring work.

Laham himself said he hoped that this pioneering project could become a school and encourage other local and international churches to collaborate on the desired objectives. Among these there is primarily "the return of displaced persons and refugees to their cities and villages of origin", combined with the "consolidation of the Christian presence that has its origins in the appearance of Christianity in this region of the world".

For his part Wilbert van Saane, representative of Kerk in Actie, one of the main financiers of the program, wanted to emphasize that the Evangelical Church in the Netherlands is aware of the profound solidarity that unites the Eastern and Western Churches. This means that building the one means at the same time giving the other reasons to continue on the path.

He added, “as living stones we continue to be built into the spiritual temple, even when we are not physically in the same location”.

Moreover, Saane expressed that his Church is pleased to work on restoring the rich and compassionate religious and social ministries of the Syrian churches in different parts of the country. He also stressed that this project supports many local communities, especially those that cannot afford to bear the entire costs of the restoration of their infrastructure. At the end, he stated that this program is a “beautiful, ecumenical initiative gathering all ecumenical churches in Syria and fostered by the Middle East Council of Churches”.

The various Church missions conducted in Syria reveal the urgency of a process of reconstruction not only material terms, but also human, civil and spiritual ones. During one of these missions, the Congregation of Eastern Churches expressed its "concern" for the "drama of a heavily wounded country in its structures", with neighborhoods and villages completely destroyed. Stressing the "total desolation" of certain areas, it wonders "if and how those who have left their homes can return".

Furthermore, according to estimates provided by the United Nations, 69% of Syrians live in conditions of extreme poverty. One of the main concerns of the local population is "massive emigration abroad, especially of young people, professionals, doctors". One of the consequences is "a huge impoverishment" of healthcare facilities.

In the picture: Aleppo children, photo taken from Cor Unum's Twitter account