International leg of "Bread&Blanket for Syria" campaign launched

International leg of the "Bread&Blanket for Syria" campaign was launched on Wednesday with simultaneous press conferences in 16 countries around the world. "It is imperative that we mobilize our powers and capabilities in order to help the Syrian people who face humanitarian crisis. This is what our religion and our humanity dictate us. No political excuses are acceptable at a time when blood is spilled and desperate people cry for help," Ali Kurt, secretary of the Union of Civil Society Organizations of the Islamic World, told a press meeting in Istanbul. Kurt said the "Bread&Blanket for Syria" campaign extended a helping hand to 600 thousand Syrian refugees who had taken shelter in neighboring countries and for 4.5 million internally-displaced Syrians. The "Bread&Blanket for Syria" campaign was launched last December in Turkey by a group of Turkish civil society organizations and it quickly received nation-wide support. Turkey's Red Crescent Aid Society had sent 35 thousand tons of flour to the war-stricken Syrians who face severe shortage of bread and shelter from cold weather. The campaign is expected to receive the support of charity organizations from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Malaysia, Pakistan, Britain, Macedonia, Kuwait, Morocco, Lebanon, Libya, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Bahrain, Algeria and Belgium. Al Muntada Islamic Trust announces support for Syria Al Muntada Al-Islami Islamic Trust, located in London, announced their support for the "Bread and Blanket for Syria" campaign initiated by the Union of NGOs of the Islamic world for the civilian victims in Syria. Al Muntada Al-Islami Trust's Secretary Abdul Hakeem Montague and Foreign Development Manager Said Mumin Mope on Tuesday announced their support for "Bread and Blanket for Syria" in a press conference. Turkish Cypriot support for Syria campaign The Turkish Cypriot leg of the "bread&blanket for Syria" international aid campaign began in Lefkosa with a press conference held at the headquarters of the Turkish Cypriot Presidency of Religious Affairs. Morocco pledges support for the aid drive In a press release in Rabat, Morocco representative of the Union of Civil Society Organizations of the Islamic World, Abdulfattah Fahdi, urged all Moroccans to "extend a helping hand to our Syrian brethren who have been subjected to maltreatment of a terrorist state for the past 21 months." "The world is still blind to the massacres of the Syrian regime on civilians," he said. Representatives of Egyptian NGOs called for support to the campaign Egyptian institution for supporting the civil society organizations called on countries to support "Bread&Blanket for Syria" campaign. Secretary general Ahmet El Hiyt of the institution said that they gathered in order to help people who had been struggling to survive the difficult winter conditions in Syria. Noting that they fully supported the campaign, El Hiyt thanked all countries and organizations which helped Syrian people. Yemeni NGOs express support for the campaign In a press meeting in Sana'a, Yemeni representative of the Union of Civil Society Organizations of the Islamic World, Mohammad Naji Al'av, said the Yemeni people could not remain indifferent to the humanitarian tragedy in Syria. "Yemeni civil society organizations were inspired by this meaningful campaign which was launched by Turkey. We cannot remain silent to this aid campaign which has mobilized the world. Our Syrian brothers are not alone," Al'av said. Kuwait calls for support to the global aid campaign Deputy Secretary-General Mubarak Al-Mutawa of the Union of NGOs of the Islamic World (UNIW) in Kuwait called on civil societies and relief organizations to support "Bread&Blanket for Syria" campaign of UNIW which was initiated by Turkey in order to help Syrian civilians. Mutawa told AA on Wednesday that Syrian crisis was "overwhelming", and said that millions of Syrians were homeless and hungry, adding that they had many problems due to harsh winter conditions, thus, aid efforts should be increased. Bahrain's Asale Foundation called for support for the international aid campaign "Bread and Blanket for Syria" The Bahraini Asale Foundation called for support for the global aid campaign "Bread and Blanket for Syria ", organized by the Union of the NGOs of the Muslim World for the victims of the tragedy in Syria. President of Asale Foundation and MP Abdulhalim Murad spoke highly of the aid campaign initiated by Union of the NGOs of the Muslim World for the Syrian civilians. Abdulhalim emphasized the importance of coordination and division of work among NGOs for a fair distribution of the aid for Syrians in need. He also expressed his gratitude towards Turkey for leading the way in the campaign. Pakistani support for Syria campaign The Pakistani leg of the "bread&blanket for Syria" international aid campaign began in Islamabad on Wednesday with a press conference held at the Press Club. The international aid campaign for Syria was initiated by Turkey-based Union of the NGOs of the Islamic World and is being supported by a total of 16 countries worldwide. Speaking at the press conference held at Islamabad's Press Club, the Secretary General of the Khubaib Foundation, Muhammad Zaheed Azeem indicated that they supported the international aid campaign to show that they were with the oppressed people of Syria. "We have to be more sensitive and make more sacrifice so that the oppressed Syrian people can go through this tough test," Azeem also said. -Macedonian also support for Syria campaign The Macedonian leg of the "bread&blanket for Syria" international aid campaign began in Skopje with a press conference held by the Chairman of the humanitarian aid organization Merhamet, Adnan Ismaili. Ismaili called on the Macedonians in the Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish languages to join the campaign to support the Syrians who have been negatively affected by the civil war. "As the Macedonian people, we are with the people of Syria. All aid materials and contributions collected for the Syrian people will be sent to them through Turkey," Ismaili also said. -Jordanian charity groups pledge support for campaign Jordanian charity organizations pledged support for "Bread&Blanket for Syria," a humanitarian aid campaign launched by a group of Turkish civil society organizations for civil war-stricken Syrians. -Libyan NGO calls for support to the global aid campaign Libyan charity organization called for support to "Bread&Blanket for Syria," a humanitarian aid campaign launched by a group of Turkish civil society organizations for civil war-stricken Syrians. -Lebanese charity organization pledges support for the aid drive Lebanon's Conscience and Relief Association expressed also support for the campaign in a press conference in Beirut as the association's head, Imad Saed, said the charity was set to deliver on Thursday bread and blanket for 700 Syrian families staying in a refugee camp in Lebanon. Saudi Arabia and Algeria eulogize campaign On the other hand, Saudi Arabia and Algeria eulogized "Bread&Blanket for Syria", an international humanitarian aid campaign for civil war-stricken Syrians.