The article below was originally published by Spirit of America (SoA), a nonprofit connecting donors like you with U.S. troops and diplomats to deliver quick and lasting humanitarian and economic assistance. Visit and donate to Spirit of America here.
Earlier last month, SoA’s Middle East manager, Zack Bazzi, was invited by the U.S. military to visit northern Syria, to conduct a humanitarian assessment of the region known to the Kurds as Rojava.
While the military, working through on-the-ground partners, such as the Kurdish-led Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) has achieved extraordinary progress in rolling back ISIS, the key to long-term security and stability in the region will be humanitarian assistance, economic development, and effective governance.
SoA’s Middle East manager, Zack Bazzi, spent a week on the ground in the Kobani and Jazira regions, surveying the situation and exploring ways that SoA can support the US military’s efforts to alleviate human suffering, spur economic development, and make the regional government more effective.
Below is a photo narrative highlighting SoA’s trip to northern Syria. Over the next several weeks, SoA will be rolling out humanitarian initiatives that support stability and governance in the region. Stay tuned!
Downtown Kobani, northern Syria, has mostly been flattened by the vicious fighting to dislodge Islamic State fighters from the city.
Zack Bazzi listening to a teacher at a refugee camp on the outskirts of Kobani discuss the camp’s education needs.
The destroyed interior of a school in Kobani, northern Syria.
Zack and local officials touring Shaddadi Hospital in northeast Syria.
Damaged interior on main hospital in Shaddadi, northeast Syria.
Following a meeting between local tribal elders, military representatives, and SoA’s Zack Bazzi. The group discussed ways to stabilize the situation in the region and improve security.
