Each housing unit has two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. It can accommodate six family members.

Upon the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) announced the construction of 1,000 prefabricated housing units worth Dhs65 million, as part of its participation in Operation "Gallant Knight 2" launched by the Joint Operations Command of the Ministry of Defence to assist Syrian families affected by the earthquake that hit the country on Feb.6, 2023.

The initiative is part of the UAE’s humanitarian efforts to find rapid and innovative solutions by establishing temporary housing units to accommodate 6,000 Syrians.

The housing units were constructed in line with the best standards in terms of raw material quality, ventilation and utilising solar power to generate electricity. Each housing unit has two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom. It can accommodate six family members.

The prefabricated housing units were constructed in seven selected areas in Latakia Governorate, which are Al Gharraf 1 with 350 housing units, Al Gharraf 2 with 133 units, Jableh with 123 units, Al Naqa’a with 48 units, Al Fayd with 56 units, Astamu with 85 units, and the Damserkho area with 205 units.

The ERC team in Syria said that a committee was formed from representative of the local development authority, the Latakia Governorate Council, the Syrian Red Crescent and other relevant authorities to select eligible families to receive the housing units.

Dr Hamdan Mussallam Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ERC, said that the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed to establish 1,000 housing units in Latakia for those affected by the earthquake underscores his keenness to advance the UAE’s humanitarian and development response for those affected by the disaster.

He then pointed out that the UAE was among the first countries to support earthquake victims in Syria by harnessing its financial, humanitarian and logistical capacities and dispatching volunteers to make a difference to the global relief efforts.

Eng. Amer Hilal, Governor of Latakia, thanked the UAE, whose people have supported them through the crisis via Operation Gallant Knight 2, in addition to its ongoing relief and humanitarian support, adding that the ERC is carrying out a new phase of humanitarian action to construct prefabricated housing units.

Latakia has prepared seven locations on a total area measuring 10 hectares for the establishment of the housing units, he added, thanking the UAE’s leadership and people for always supporting the Syrian people.

WAM