We presented in International Alert's 'Building peace from the bottom up in Syria: Community-based peacebuilding from Aleppo to London' on Tuesday 3 May in London.
Our Refugee Support Coordinator participated in the panel and spoke about the experiences of Syrian refugees in the UK and what we are doing to help them integrate into British society.
We held our annual gathering on 2 May to update the community on our work and to receive questions and suggestions from our membership. We were extremely pleased that the room was packed, highlighting the strong relationship that we have with our community.
We participated in a demonstration held in Manchester city centre to protest the Assad regime's indiscriminate bombing of Aleppo, including the bombing of al-Quds hospital which killed the last remaining paediatrician in the city. Special thank you to Majd Altujjar and Mansour al-Baghdady for organising this demonstration at such a short notice.
A coalition of Syrian organisations issued a statement on 1 May regarding the appalling situation in Aleppo. We condemned the Assad regime's systematic targeting of civilian areas and of medical facilities and stressed that civilian protection is the only way to guarantee the survival of the political process.
We spoke at an event hosted by the Islamic Society of Britain on 30 April in KD Grammar School. This event was dedicated to raising awareness about what is happening in Syria today as well as the plight of the Syrian people.
In the third session of the V-Inspired funded programme 'Artful Children' on 30 April, a group of fifteen children created displays out of playdough. Thank you to the volunteers who are dedicating their time to overseeing this programme.
Rethink Rebuild Society helped connect activists on the ground in Aleppo with Channel 4 to get footage from al-Quds Hospital. Al-Quds hospital was bombed by the Assad regime on 28 April. The airstrike killed the last remaining paediatrician in the city, Dr. Muhammad Maaz.
Syrian groups across the UK issued a condemning statement on 29 April addressed to the UK Government for failing to take any action in the face of continuous violations that continue to be perpetrated in Syria by the Assad regime. We called on the UK to take action to enforce UN resolutions and to conduct air drops of food upon besieged areas.
Syrian and global NGOs issued quotes on 29 April on the recent escalation of violence in Syria, most particularly in Aleppo, by the Assad regime. Our reaction to this escalation is the following:
Rethink Rebuild Society joined over 80 international and Syrian NGOs on 29 April to call upon Obama and Putin to take immediate and decisive action to save Syria's ceasefire which has been flagrantly violated by the Assad regime. This statement was reported in international press