New Laws of Commercial Registration and Trade Names take effect on Thursday    Civil Defense warns of heavy rains across Saudi Arabia until Monday    Saudi Exchange suspends trading of seven companies over financial disclosure delays    New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    EU preparing 'further countermeasures' to protect its interest, von der Leyen says    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Israel announces expansion of military operation in Gaza to seize 'large areas' of land    US cancels visa of Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias    Danish prime minister refutes US claim on Greenland on visit to the Arctic territory    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Saudi Arabia welcomes trilateral border treaty between Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Bakers, teachers, painters line up to volunteer to save lives in Syria
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 21 - 03 - 2016

It looks like a sandstorm has blown in, the air thick with dust as a white van screeches to a halt and volunteers from Syria's ‘White Helmets' dash in to help dazed survivors after an air strike in Aleppo.
In life before the war these volunteers of the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, were ordinary citizens, from bakers to teachers to painters. They are now on the frontline of the conflict and the first in when the shells hit.
"We used to be called to an attack once a month that had 30 martyrs, but during the Russian intervention we were called to many attacks, where the numbers of martyrs was more than 100 and the injured more than 200," said Raed Al-Saleh, director of the White Helmets.
Saleh used to be an electrical supplies salesman before heading up the search and rescue operation of the group of unarmed men and women that was set up to fill the void of emergency responders no longer on hand when the bombs dropped.
The non-sectarian group was officially formed in 2014 and now has 3,000 volunteers, describing itself as the largest civil society organisation operating in areas outside of government control, and many more wish to join.
"The strikes have targeted vital centres that provide help to people on a regular basis and then attacking the people that rush to help. Recently, 10 hospitals were destroyed," Saleh said in an interview during a recent visit to London.
UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONS
Many of the volunteers train across the border in Turkey before deploying to one of the 114 centers dotted across Syria, including in the besieged areas, the exact location of which remain undisclosed as they have received death threats. They receive their funding from members of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), led by a group of countries including the United States and Britain.
They say they are neutral, impartial and wanting to help anyone, no matter what side they are on — but their work has come at a cost, with at least 92 White Helmets volunteers killed while saving others.
With huge parts of Syria flattened, rescue workers say part of the challenge lies in finding a hospital for the wounded.
The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) has strongly criticized Syria's warring sides for attacking clinics and hospital staff.
The United Nations estimates almost half a million Syrians are living under siege, and more than 11 million from a population of 23 million have been forced from their homes during the conflict with more than 250,000 killed.
"Sometimes when we are taking someone to the nearest hospital we don't find spaces so we need to go further to the next one," Saleh said.
"Sometimes they don't make it .. The pain we feel is massive while rescuing people, while looking for a hospital, as most of the hospitals in the city have been completely destroyed."
As the Syrian conflict enters its sixth year the team said they have also reached their own tragic milestone having rescued over 50,000 of their own countrymen. — Thomson Reuters Foundation


Clic here to read the story from its source.