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Donations for children collected in Germany have reached the Makhmour and Aşitî refugee camps. A total of 755 bags were sent to four primaries and five nursery schools in Makhmour camp, and 100 to the Aşitî camp, which houses Yazidi children from Sinjar (Şengal), writes Yeni Özgür Politika.
The “Give the Gift of a Smile” campaign was run by the Initiative for Peace and Hope in Kurdistan (KBUİ), which is active in Germany, aiming at solidarity for the children living under challenging conditions in the Makhmour refugee camp and the city of Sinjar. The campaign ran from 1 November to 12 December 2021. The gifts collected were transported in the intervening period and distributed to the children. The bags were filled with stationery materials, toothpaste, chocolate, antiseptic cream and winter clothes. The delight on the faces of the children receiving the bags shone out in photographs taken.
A total of 855 bags delivered
A KBUİ spokesperson Emine Gözen said that a total of 755 bags were distributed to four primaries and five nursery schools in the Makhmour camp. She explained that they were unable to get gifts prepared for Sinjar to their destination because of the adverse conditions there, so they distributed the gifts in the Aşitî camp in Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî), which houses 180 families from Sinjar.
A morale booster to the children
Delil Tok, a teacher at Şehid Koçerin High School, spoke to Yeni Özgür Politika by telephone from Makhmour camp and said that the gifts had made the children happy and boosted their morale: “The embargo imposed on the camp effects all aspects of life, education included. In a way it’s like living in an open prison. The gifts sent to the children are a great morale booster to them.”
Delivery to Aşitî camp too
The other destination for distributing gifts was the Aşitî camp, which houses Yazidis. One hundred eighty families are living in Aşitî camp in Sulaymaniya. Kawa Êzîdî, who was involved in the organisation of the distribution at the camp, explained that they had called in families in need from regions outside the camp and distributed gifts to them as well. He said, “There are 400 Yazidi families in Sulaymaniya, but it is the ones in the camp who are in the worst circumstances. The clothes arrived not long ago. We distributed these among 120 families.” He said it had been really worthwhile seeing the delight on the faces of the children.
