(ZAMAN Al WASL)- Saad Mohamedd Al-Khidher, a young man who, in this time of crisis, has evoked his Syrian upbringing and determination to help fight the coronavirus pandemic as way to return the favor to the country that took him and his family in their forced exile.
In the French region of Bordeaux, Al-Khidher, along with his wife and 5 partners, have taken up preparing meals for the medical staff in the town’s hospital. With the rising death toll, doctors and nurses have no time to think about food.
This initiative soon expanded to include associations with Syrians working to help those in the front lines. Saad’s wife is a certified chef, using her culinary skills in a variety of Syrian dishes to help the medical team.
Saad said, “We have some fears, naturally… but we take the necessary precautions, and our role is limited to preparing the meals, which we have been told are quite delicious. This gives us great pleasure. I advised several Syrian families to do the same, or help in any other way they can to return the favor in such hard times.”
Basem Mutawaa, head of the ‘Basmaty Challenge’ association, said, “We reached out to the authorities, and asked to volunteer and to help alleviate the situation by providing meals for the medical staff.
A number of Syrian families and young people were happy to help, also delivering food to the elderly. Our relationship with the medical community renewed our confidence and eased our fears. We keep up to date with everything, feeling determined to contain the pandemic.”
On social media, young people mobilized to help the elderly, the most vulnerable group in France, with shopping and delivering food to their homes while taking all possible precautions to avoid transmission.
Hussein Hammadi said, “I shared the initiative with my friends, who in turn shared it with theirs on Facebook and WhatsApp, until we reached 30 people. We received thank-you cards even before starting, each of us doing whatever they can to offer help to the old people they were close to, even if it is calling them on the phone.
"We take all the necessary precautions. The publication allowed people to write a list of what they needed. We brought them food, medicine and health care supplies and they were happy. One woman told me the second time I visited her ‘you are my son’.”
The quarantine period is likely to be extended until at least mid-May, keeping the Schengen borders closed until September as well as restricting the movement of French people within and outside French territory. So far, the country has reported over 167,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19-19 and 24,100 deaths.
Mohamed Awayyed
Zaman Al Wasl
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