28 projects help 100 Afrin families in al-Shahba

ARIF SULAIMAN- FIDAN ABDULLAH/ AL-SHAHBA

In the event of occupation of the Turkish occupation army to Afrin, the parents no more can take advantage of their livelihood and planting, and secure a material income for them, after forcibly exiting from Afrin.

In order to provide material assistance, the Economic Commission in Afrin Region, which is now called the Committee for Rationalization and Economy, which consists of 5 members, two of them from Afrin canton and three from the al-Shahba canton.

The committee started its work from 10 May this year and received 28 requests from the residents of Afrin and al-Shahba in the past 20 days. It includes small economic projects, opening shops for the sale and purchase of vegetables and fruits, selling fuel, a men's shaver, laundry and ironing shop, meat with dough bakery, two cafeterias, a pancake shop, a sewing workshop, a car repair shop, several shops selling food, and the committee also contributed to the expansion of a pharmacy.

According to officials at the committee, most of the shops opened in each of Tal Rifat, Fafin and Tal Qarah and Um Hosh villages, and its owners were provided with sums of money.

The parents are assisted by submitting a request for their project. In turn, the committee undertakes the study and evaluates the amount required and paid according to the possibilities of Democratic Autonomous Administration in the area, and by the monthly profit of the people, the amount is paid to the committee.

"The committee's initiative came in the form of specific loans to combat unemployment in al-Shahba canton, especially for the people of Afrin who were forced to leave, in order to meet the needs of the people financially," said Haitham Mulla, a member of the committee.

"Because of the siege imposed on al-Shahba, it is difficult for us to work on opening large economic projects," he said. "With the opening of the projects mentioned there, there are several families involved, so we can say that more than 100 families benefit from this step. And with the success and filling the money of the people of the Committee, we will benefit from the funds in the establishment of other projects, to help the largest number of families and fight unemployment in the area.

Mulla said that they are as a committee and with possibilities of the Democratic Autonomous Administration are currently working on the opening of a factory for the manufacture of ice to provide the people with cold water. The factory will consist of 7 rooms to store fruit and vegetables, which will be implemented next week, project for the production of healthy water for the people of the area.

"The occupation of Afrin caused heavy losses in our economy and we thank the initiative of the committee to support the people," said Mustafa Gulin, one of the citizens to whom the committee provided financial support. "The move came amidst the silence and the international community's failure to provide assistance, and the brutality of the Turkish occupation by looting and stealing the livelihood of the people of Afrin.

H/S

ANHA