HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Samira Ali says that there is “no humanitarian aid” reaching IDPs in al-Arisha camp, south of Hasakah.
Ali, 52, an IDP from the city of al-Mayadin in Deir ez-Zor, has been at the camp since 2017. She suffers under the camp’s dire living conditions and close to no humanitarian aid, as do her peers.
Ali’s family – eleven members in all, including six children – are facing difficult living conditions. “The alimentary support we receive is not sufficient at all,” she told North Press.
“We are not able to purchase food and vegetables due to high prices,” she added.
Many families were forced to sell their belongings to buy food for their hungry children, she noted.
There is a severe lack of cleaning supplies as well. Hygiene kits are delivered every three months, but they seldom last longer than a few days.
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) established al-Arisha camp in 2017. The camp houses 2.824 displaced families from Homs, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, and Hasakah, according to the latest statistic conducted by the camp administration.
Insufficient Food Parcels
Assaf al-Abed, 50, another IDP in al-Arisha camp, also decries the lack of food aid and cleaning supplies. He and his family live in dreadful conditions.
Al-Abed, who hails from al-Qoriye village in Deir ez-Zor and has a family of nine, was displaced in 2017.
“I get one food parcel each month, but it is not enough. I have a big family,” he told North Press.
His face was unable to hide his suffering. Due to the lack of hygiene kits, he is afraid of the spreading of diseases. “We have not received hygiene kits in three months,” he said.
Organizations operating in the camp “hold awareness sessions for children on how to keep clean when there are no hygiene items available,” he added.
“They need hygiene kits. They already know how to wash their faces and hands,” he said, sarcastically.
No Funding
The IDPs complain about the lack of humanitarian assistance by NGOs in the region, as well as the continued closure of the al-Ya’rubiyah (Tel Kocher) border crossing, which prevents humanitarian aid from entering the region directly.
Bahaa Muhammad, the al-Arisha’s camp administrator, said the reason for the delay in distributing food parcels and hygiene kits in the camp is due to a “lack of funding of the humanitarian organization”.
“There is a severe lack of funding for organizations. There are also challenges stopping humanitarian aid from reaching areas controlled by the AANES,” he added without further clarification.