Raqqa – North-Press Agency
Ahmad al-Hassan
Since last week, the organizations office of the Social Affairs and Labor Committee at the Raqqa Civil Council has been working to distribute emergency food baskets and free purchase cards for low-income families, in cooperation with many humanitarian organizations working in the city of Raqqa.
On the 29th of March, the Executive Council of North and East Syria issued a statement that food baskets will be distributed to "needy" families in the region during the quarantine imposed to avoid the spread of coronavirus.
The head of the Relief Office in Raqqa's Civil Council, Ahmad al-Ahmad, told North-Press that the relief office is currently supervising the distribution of 12,500 food baskets provided by al-Mawaddah Charitable Association. As a first batch, 3,250 baskets were distributed to several neighborhoods in Raqqa.
During his talk with North-Press, al-Ahmad appealed to international organizations to provide material and healthcare support in light of the conditions the city in particular and the region in general are experiencing.
Moreover, the al-Furat Organization also distributed 1,470 free purchase cards to the families facing difficulties living in the Rumaila neighborhood.
"We are working to distribute food baskets containing oil, sugar, rice and bulgur, in addition to many basic food items, as an emergency solution for the residents of the neighborhoods of Raqqa," said Khaled Saleh Mustafa, head of the Istiqlal neighborhood commune.
The distribution of food baskets was one of the measures taken by the Autonomous Administration to help residents to stay at their homes, by providing part of basic food items during the lockdown which started on the 23rd of March.