Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Syria Civil Defense (the White Helmets), to establish bilateral cooperation in awareness-raising, shared public and administrative activities, nontechnical surveys of local areas/communities to check risks of explosive remnants of war (ERW), infection control, supply of oxygen and personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical facilities, and medical waste incineration.
The MoU was signed by Mazen Abdullah Mohamed, head of QRCS’s representation office in Turkey, and Raed Al-Saleh, head of the Syrian Civil Defence. The signing ceremony was attended by Dr. Hashem Darwish, head of programs at QRCS’s office in Turkey, and Mohamed Basil Kershano, head of public relations at the Syrian Civil Defense.
Awareness-raising activities will cover a wide range of social issues, including how to deal with emergency personnel, child labor, dropping out, home safety hazards, social integration, and human rights. Also, there will be health education about COVID-19 vaccination, measles, chronic diseases, first aid, ERW, safety and security, and fire prevention.
Fun activities will be held for children, as a form of psychological support.
In coordination with municipalities, the White Helmets will conduct a non-technical survey of the agricultural lands targeted by QRCS’s farming development projects, to investigate pollution from unexploded ordnance (UXO), which may pose a threat to people and an obstacle to agriculture.
The White Helmets will provide machinery and PPE for QRCS’s early recovery projects in northern Syria, such as shelters, camps of internally displaced people (IDPs), etc.
Other areas of cooperation include training courses on agricultural crop protection, camp fire response, early search and rescue (SAR) intervention, firefighting, response to earthquakes and natural disasters, safety and security protection, and international humanitarian law (IHL).
They will also support medical facilities with maintenance and recharge of oxygen cylinders, as well as medical waste treatment services as per applicable infection control standards, through an incineration plant in southern Maarrat Misrin, Idlib.
Source: Qatar Red Crescent Society