His story travels the world: a ray of sunshine in an ocean of despair. “We didn’t want the baby in the wreckage to be named anymore, so we decided to give her a name. Her name is Aya, which means ‘miracle, sign of God’ in Arabic,” says the father’s only uncle. living relative of the little girl’s family.
Aya’s Miracle
Aya was miraculously rescued in Jandairis, Syria, after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday. More than 20,000 people were killed, but the United Nations warns the extent of the disaster is still unclear. Rescuers are still searching for survivors under the rubble, but nearly 100 hours since the aftershocks have lost hope. Cold and freezing weather threatens the lives of thousands of survivors, who are now deprived of shelter, water and food. President Erdogan described the earthquake as “the disaster of the century”.
The story of newborn baby Aya, who is still tied to her mother’s umbilical cord under the rubble in northwest Syria, touched millions of people. Many come forward to adopt her: the little girl lost everything, not only her mother, but also her father and four brothers. The director of the Afrin Khalid Attiah hospital, where he was hospitalized soon after he was discovered, received dozens of calls from around the world with offers to take care of him. The doctor, who has a daughter who is 4 months older than Aya, said, “I will not allow anyone to adopt her anymore. I will treat her like one of my family until her relatives return.” His wife breastfeeds him with her own child.
“He arrived Monday in very bad shape, he had bumps, bruises, he was cold and he was barely breathing,” said Hani Marouf, the pediatrician who looked after him. It is stable now. Aya will make it, she’s getting better day by day. A minor miracle, but not a unique situation now. In fact, the earthquake will have thousands of orphans. A 10-year-old girl was found alive in the rubble of a building 90 hours later in Hatay. This was announced on Thursday by Antalya firefighters announcing that they managed to extract the boy “thanks to 7 hours of meticulous work under the rubble”.
Rescuing the Children: A Race Against Time
Faced with the heart-wrenching images of children being pulled from rubble in Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquakes in recent days, Save the Children said it was quickly closing the window of time to bring shelter, medical supplies, water and food to the hardest-hit areas to save lives. . The death toll from Monday’s two earthquakes continues to rise dramatically in both countries, with thousands injured. The first few days after a natural disaster are critical, and time is running out to save survivors, especially children who are most vulnerable to freezing temperatures.
Earthquakes are estimated to affect around 23 million people, most of them children. Survivors in Turkey and Syria urgently need humanitarian aid such as food, shelter, blankets and clean water. The need for sanitation in temporary shelters is also an increasing priority, as diseases that are deadly especially for children will spread rapidly without running water and toilets, as highlighted by the international organization that has fought to save and secure girls and boys for over 100 years. a future. Children are also at risk of being separated from their families, which puts them at risk of exploitation and abuse. In a crisis of this magnitude, keeping families together is essential to the safety, security and well-being of boys and girls.
The situation in northwest Syria is incredibly bleak. Earthquakes have struck areas where children and their families have already suffered greatly, many of whom have been displaced by 12 years of conflict, living in camps and already dependent on humanitarian aid to meet their basic needs. “Even before the earthquake, life in the camps was difficult and people needed humanitarian assistance to survive. This winter has been very cold and tents offer little comfort in the face of bad weather. Our local partners tell us that the earthquake has turned into a terrible situation. Save the Children in Syria Advocacy Kathryn Achilles, Director of Media and Communications, said: “Without support, people cannot feed their children. They need help urgently,” he said.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
