Nothing in Rawd Rafec’s apartment was salvageable, after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Aleppo on 6 February sparked an electrical fire in her home.
Devastated by the loss, the wife and mother of twins recognizes she is among the fortunate Aleppines who have survived the strongest earthquake to strike Syria in 200 years.
Mrs. Rafec is one of hundreds in the city receiving assistance from CNEWA-Pontifical Mission and its 10 local partner agencies, which are working to assist earthquake survivors as they piece their lives together again.
“Meanwhile,” said Imad Abou Jawde, program manager for CNEWA-Pontifical Mission, “she will live in dignity until her home can be restored.”
Rental assistance for families whose homes became uninhabitable due to the earthquake, basic furniture and home repairs are part of the assistance provided by CNEWA-Pontifical Mission.
Michel Constantin, director of CNEWA’s regional office for Lebanon, Egypt and Syria, said this assistance is part of the second phase of relief efforts, which also include psychosocial support, basic medication and long-term food packages.
“For us, the most difficult part was how to restore hope, how to help them get on their feet again and have faith in a broken and devastated country,” he said.
Listen to Mrs. Rawd’s testimony in the video below by Lebanese journalist Raghida Skaff.
Then, read more about how church-run humanitarian aid is addressing the needs of Syrians after the earthquakes in “On Shaky Ground” in the June 2023 edition of ONE.