Manbij – North-Press Agency
Saddam al-Hassan
The city of Manbij, northeast of Aleppo, witnessed humanitarian initiatives that included providing nursing services, free drugs and awareness campaigns, in conjunction with the lockdown period in the Autonomous Administration areas in North and East Syria to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Veterinarian Ali al-Jeeran, from the city of Manbij, bought medicines from pharmacies, such as diabetes medications, blood pressure medicines and other drugs to distribute them for free to patients with poor financial capabilities in the city.
Since the beginning of the lockdown until now, al-Jeeran’s initiative has targeted 400 families needing assistance during this period, as the price of the medicines provided reached approximately $650, according to North-Press.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria decided to extend the lockdown period for 15 days, starting from Tuesday morning.
Yasser al-Saghir said that he visited the homes of families that contain patients who suffer because of their limited income to provide nursing services free of charge. “Most of these families cannot afford the medicine and cannot pay the cost of serums and monitor the situation of their patients in private hospitals,” he said.
Al-Saghir had announced his initiative on Manbij’s social media pages, with the start of the lockdown in the Autonomous Administration areas of North and East Syria, on March 23rd.
The nurse assisted some of his neighbors and friends to secure medicines, and the number of families that he provided with nursing services has reached 200 so far, 50 of which he donated medicine to because of their inability to purchase it.
Adnan Sherbawi, a resident of Manbij, carried out an awareness campaign through his paintings to educate the people of Manbij about the dangers of the novel coronavirus. He began to draw murals showing the seriousness of the virus and urging families to stay in their homes during the ban period to avoid infection.
Sherbawi told North-Press: "I launched this modest initiative in proportion to my capability, so I started painting in all parts of the city," noting that the purpose of his drawings was to raise awareness in the first place, as the coronavirus epidemic has spread through all countries of the world, mostly as a result of carelessness and failure to adhere to preventive advice.
The lockdown has had a significant impact on low-income people, especially those who were dependent on a daily wage, including 3,000 porters near the crossings, according to Abir al-Akla, the co-chair of Manbij Economy Committee