Musa Ahmad: We have kept our promise and we have been with you and we will remain with you
In presence of the Representative of President Barzani, President of Barzani Charity Foundation, President of Kurdistan Religious Scholars Union, Sina Badrkhan, several foreign consuls in Erbil, several government figures, investors, donors, civil activists and journalists, On Wednesday 30\4\2025, a special conference was held in Erbil, Peshawa Hall, on the aid provided to Syria.
The conference began with a minute of silence for the souls of the martyrs and then Musa Ahmad, President of Barzani Charity Foundation, welcomed the participants and said that during the earthquakes in Turkey, Syria and North and West Kurdistan, President Barzani warned them to serve the victims of these disasters as they serve the people of Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok and the Kurdistan Region.
Obviously, the humanitarian services of the Barzani Charity Foundation are very wide and have crossed the borders of dozens of other countries besides the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
However, the conference was only devoted to the aid provided to West Kurdistan, especially the Afrin border.
“It is a matter of pride that we have fulfilled the promise we made and we have been with you and we will remain with you,” the president of Barzani Charity Foundation said, referring to President Barzani’s instructions to deliver humanitarian aid in all sectors. He stressed that in this situation, the first humanitarian organization in the region and the world, the Barzani Charity Foundation, which reached Turkey and Syria and then in 2019 more than 123 trailers of food and non-food aid delivered to West Kurdistan.
The president of the Barzani Charity Foundation pointed out that when the influx of refugees, especially the people of West Kurdistan came to the Kurdistan Region, President Barzani said: “This land is their land and they are my guests. What you are doing for Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, Halabja, Garmian, etc., do even more for them.”
The president of the Barzani Charity Foundation, in another part of his speech, pointed out that “In 2011, the number of indigenous people of Afrin was 550,000, of which only 150,000 remained in their homes by 2022 after the war and armed attacks, but thanks to humanitarian assistance, more than 400,000 refugees have returned to their homes so far”. This is a source of pride for the assistance of the Barzani Charity Foundation and its supporters.
On behalf of President Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, the Chairman of the Founding Board and the members of the Board, the President of Barzani Charity Foundation thanked those who have supported the services of Barzani Charity Foundation for the victims.
After the speeches of the President of the Barzani Charity Foundation, an intensive video of the aid provided to West Kurdistan was shown.
Afterwards, two musicians performed several pieces of original Kurdish music.
Rawaj Haji, member of the Executive Board of Barzani Charity Foundation and in charge of Syria affairs, pointed out that 38,859 families (222,296 people) have benefited from the activities of Barzani Charity Foundation in Afrin and its surroundings and 2,905 people have got job opportunities.
The head of the Syrian affairs of the Barzani Charity Foundation said that after the opening of the Barzani Center for Culture and Development, the center has paid great attention to opening courses for students, children and women, and he stressed that 366 villages have been visited in Afrin and its surroundings, but “the Kurdish language teachers have not exceeded three or four people,” so the center has paid great attention to training and teaching the Kurdish language, and after the February 2023 earthquakes and the opening of the office of the Barzani Charity Foundation in Afrin, through this office has continuously delivered various assistance to the residents of the area.
He also added that: “Since the beginning of the relief operation, Barzani Charity Foundation teams in Turkey and Syria have provided food, clothing, heating and tents to the earthquake victims and despite of that a medical staff have was provided to treat the wounded and the Barzani Charity Foundation was the first international organization to deliver aid to Afrin.
He said that in addition to providing food and hot meals to the victims of the earthquakes, they have distributed more than 1,000 tents to the families whose houses collapsed and were displaced and the services continue until now and they have paid great attention to vocational and educational courses and services to the disabled and orphans and have had service activities in nine sectors.
The head of the Syrian affairs of the Barzani Charity Foundation said that the mobile clinic with 15 doctors and six ambulances have provided medical services in Afrin and 366 villages, and this year the project has resumed. In addition, the teams of the Barzani Charity Foundation have carried out a cleaning campaign in Afrin and planted hundreds of trees.
The Barzani Center for Culture and Development in Afrin has paid great attention to the opening of painting and handicraft exhibitions for Afrin artists, folk dances, distribution of certificates to graduates of vocational courses and first bachelor’s degrees and distributed cash aid to them. It has also provided logistical assistance to the municipalities of Afrin.
In the final part of the conference, the Kobanê folk art group was applauded by the participants with an original dance full of messages of coexistence and reconciliation.
