(ANS – Lisboa) – The Salesianos” Foundation of the Sons of Don Bosco operating in the “St. Anthony” Province of Portugal (POR), through “Missão Dom Bosco,” the Salesian Mission Office of the Province, has promptly activated a fundraising campaign to help the inhabitants of Aleppo, one of the cities hardest hit by the earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey last Monday.
The earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria on the night of Feb. 5 and 6, with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, was classified as the worst earthquake recorded in the region in 80 years. With its epicenter in Kahramanmaraş, southern Turkey, near the northwestern border with Syria, this earthquake caused the collapse of hundreds of buildings, especially those that were already shattered after 12 years of war. In addition to thousands of casualties, with the toll tragically rising, there are hundreds of missing people and many injured.
Urgent support is thus needed to meet the needs of the thousands of families affected by this catastrophe.
There are several search and rescue teams on the ground working around the clock to find survivors, as there may still be many people trapped under the rubble.
At the same time, support is also important for those who had to rush out of their homes, people who need everything: food, warm clothes, hospitality, psychological and spiritual support… The Salesians present in Syria are on the front lines in this emergency.
To help, the whole Congregation is already organizing worldwide support; humanitarian efforts of the Salesian Province of the Middle East and numerous solidarity campaigns are already underway.
In Portugal, for example, there is “Missão Dom Bosco” which is already working to support this humanitarian emergency and has launched a solidarity campaign.
To learn about and to participate in the campaign, click here.
“Missão Dom Bosco,” the Salesians and the needy people of Syria as of now thank all people of goodwill.
Source: ANS – “Agencia iNfo Salesiana”