Reports | 25 05 2020
After tightening the siege by the Syrian regime forces earlier this year on Houla, northern countryside of Homs, the bad living situation increased, and even with the entry of 27 trucks loaded with aid, in March, did not work so much!
Abu Hamza, the head of a family of six members, has never imagined to be disappoint or to lose the joy, seeing convoys of humanitarian aid entry in Houla, because the quantity he obtained from the aid, were few, after waiting in the siege for six months.
He said to Rozana: "The aid provided by the Crescent entered Houla, in a situation where the region is witnessing genocidal siege, and there isn’t any kind of food in the market of the city, people were optimistic during entering the aid, but optimism faded when they saw the few amount of aid."
He got some oil, rice, and foodstuffs, in addition to six kilos of sugar, the quantity is suitable for the number of his family members, where aid was distributed according to the number of the family members, but this amount is barely enough for ten days, as he said.
Tightening the siege
Six months ago, aid assistance entered Houla by Red Crescent and the International Red Cross, nearly the same amount of recent aid, but the situation was different.
Abu Omar, one of Houla's population, complains of the lack of aid that has recently been entered, stressing that the amount obtained by his family, barely enough for twenty days, and that the division, which was adopted by the distributors on the basis of the number of family members, was a real surprise.
The man explains that he was waiting for aid seven months ago, but is surprised when it was distributed in this way, a lack of quantity, so unlike the rumors of propaganda about the magnitude of the amount that had been entered, as he put it.
"The second surprise was the way of distributing the aid, where each member of the family got a kilo of rice, and the same for sugar," continues Abu Omar, and wonders about the adequacy of this amount for per family, until the entry of other batches of aid, that no one knows when.
It should be noted, to the high prices and rising of food prices, if any, in the areas of Houla, where the family of five members, would need from 4 to 5 thousand Syrian pounds a day, only for food, drink and living.
Aid as a treasure!
Unlike Abu Hamza and Abu Omar, Ali who lives Houla, sees that the quantity received, even if it was few, but it was enough, "get ten kilos of sugar, same for rice, which haven’t entered my house for more than two months, it is a treasure, of great blessing." Ali says.
And confirms that the aid came at a time when most of the population is suffering from the hardship, the Syrian regime closed all the ports of the region of Houla recently, the price of a kilo of sugar there, reached 500 Syrian pounds.
With the aid distribution, everyone got a kilo and a half of sugar, what means 15 Kilos for each family of sugar and rice, is something good, according to Abu Omar.
What was the assistance materials?
Mohammed Abu Nizar, a member in the Red Crescent Society Division area of Houla, confirms that the Red Crescent and the Cross have entered 61 trucks to Houla but not all food items, there were trucks loaded with generators needed for the work of water wells and medicine, he said, adding that the baskets of food were entered, are only 12 thousand baskets, and that was not sufficient to cover the needs of the people in the area.
Abu Nizar says: "the trucks emptied their load in the Crescent, and then the Crescent point began immediately distributing to the people for their urgent need, and of course, within tables, lists and statistics capability in advance."
He noted that the number of food baskets were 12 thousand, while the number of families in need of urgent help in Houla, are more than 18 thousand families, so you need 18 thousand baskets at least.
According to Abu Nizar, Crescent had to divide the baskets disproportionately on people in Houla. Depending on the number of members of one family.
It seems that one of the big influences, is tightening the siege by the Syrian forces during the past two months on Houla, what led to increase the number of families who are in need of urgent aid.