Finding Hope

In wars of the past, standard rules about harming civilians in acts of war have existed, as well as neutral zones where forces weren’t allowed to attack, including hospitals. There is something incredibly dehumanised about bombing hospitals but, horrifyingly, this has become a standard in the Syrian conflict that has been ongoing for 8 gruelling years.

This grisly reality reached a new low in 2016 when six medical facilities, including a children’s hospital were reportedly destroyed by Russian and Syrian government planes.

However, out of this despicable act, an organisation called “CanDo” went to work, crowdfunding and then building a new children’s hospital in 3 months – very aptly named the “Hope Hospital”.

This was the 7th hospital built by the organisation lead by Dr Rola Hallam, a British-trained Syrian anaesthetist, who returned to the hospital, situated outside of Northern Aleppo, in May this year for the first time since its building was completed in April 2017.

Travelling to the hospital from the UK is not an easy feat. In December 2016 “The People’s Convoy” began the journey, passing through several armed checkpoints on the way and crossing the border from Turkey – a country who has been, since 2011, one of the main supporters of the armed “rebel” fighters in Syria – in order to transport the required medical equipment and supplies to Jarabulus, the city on the border of Syria and Turkey that plays host to the Hope Hospital,

There have been some claims that the charity CanDo is taking a direct political stance by providing this support in a territory of the country that is still host to Turkish and Syrian government rebels, and thus potentially helping children of those committed to the radical Islamist ideology which is supported by the UK and US governments, as opposed to refusing to take sides as humanitarians. However, surely it is incredibly difficult to build a hospital somewhere where it won’t benefit either side of a conflict advantageously?

This criticism aside, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. The Syrian government have recently regained full control of all areas surrounding the capital, Damascus, which were previously occupied by rebel and terrorist groups. This has enabled civilians to begin to return to the capital and rebuild their former lives.

Whichever political viewpoint you subscribe to, from a humanitarian stance, this is definitely positive.