People around the world offer to adopt Aya, the newborn rescued from the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, while thousands of children are displaced

Dozens of proposals have emerged in the world to adopt the baby miraculously rescued from the rubble of the earthquake that destroyed Syria and Turkey, whose mother gave birth before dying.

Rescued in the middle of a cold night, Aya (miracle in Arabic), was alone for at least seven hours, while her mother, father and brothers lay dead by her side. The rescuers heard a noise and at that moment the miraculous rescue of the Syrian girl occurred, whom many now want to support.

Aya’s story of survival has captivated people on social media, and by the end of the week offers began pouring in from people willing to adopt the girl.

“I want to adopt this girl. She would give him a loving home. She will have two sets of grandparents and cousins ​​of all ages. My family would be complete,” one Twitter user tweeted.

“I would love to adopt this precious baby,” another TikTok user commented.

Dr. Attiah, manager of the hospital where Aya is being treated, said he had received dozens of calls from people around the world wanting to adopt baby Aya.

“I won’t let anyone adopt her now. Until her family away from her returns, I will treat her like one of my own,” Dr Attiah, who has a daughter four months older than Aya, told the BBC.

She is being breastfed by Attiah’s wife, along with their own daughter, the BBC said.

Thousands of displaced children

The tragedy that already leaves more than 22,000 fatalities, of which more than 3,500 are in Syria, has accentuated the critical state in which thousands of Syrian children live, many of them housed in camps for displaced persons as a result of the war, alert Unicef.

The United Nations organization has explained that it works in coordination with the Turkish Government and the Presidency for disaster and emergency management to cover the needs that arise and that are related to a general humanitarian response. In Syria, UNICEF assesses the effects of the earthquakes and prepares to support the humanitarian response in coordination with its allies.

“The fact that the first earthquake occurred at dawn, while many boys and girls were fast asleep, has made the situation even more dangerous, and to this is added the continuous risks due to aftershocks. Our hearts and thoughts go out to the affected children and their families, especially those who have lost loved ones or been injured. Our immediate priority is to ensure that affected children and families receive the assistance they so desperately need,” explains Catherine Russell.

It is estimated that the earthquakes have damaged or destroyed schools, hospitals and other medical and educational centers, which will bring even more consequences for children. Potential damage to roads and critical infrastructure could further complicate search and rescue efforts, as well as the overall humanitarian response.

in camps

Sivanka Dhanapala, representative in the country of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Acnur), also said that “up to 5.3 million people in Syria could have been left without a place to live because of the earthquake,” he said in Damascus to the press.

According to him, what has happened now is “a crisis within a crisis”, after the economic problems, the covid-19 and the rigors of winter, which add to the long civil war that began in 2011.

The survivors of the earthquake in Syria went to the camps created for those displaced by the civil war.

Many lost their homes or are afraid to return to quake-damaged buildings.

About half a million people died in the Syrian war.

The war forced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population to flee their homes. Many of them found shelter in neighboring Turkey.

double tragedy

Mercan al Ahmad, born in Aleppo, recalled her life in Syria, where she struggled to find food. She now she can hardly sleep.

“In Syria we escaped death and now we have been hit by an earthquake in Turkey,” said the 17-year-old. “We can’t sleep. We are afraid. We live in fear of another strong aftershock,” she explains.

Now she spends her nights and days restless, worried about her future and her relatives in Aleppo, one of the provinces most affected by the earthquake in Syria.

Ihlas Mohammed has similar news from his family and friends in a Syrian town, located between Aleppo and Idlib.

“There was a war, we fled, and now this has happened. We have nothing, ”she laments.

“We are all victims”

Turkey became the host country for thousands and thousands of refugees after an agreement aimed at curbing the European migration crisis in 2015-16.

But anti-immigration sentiments have been on the rise in the country with the severe economic crisis, which has wiped out people’s savings and left millions of people struggling to pay their bills.

With the Turkish elections on May 14 approaching, politicians of all stripes are vowing to start sending Syrians home.

But Aydegul Bitgin, a mother from a Turkish family, believes that everyone in the mosque is equal.

“We are here with the Syrian refugees, we are all victims,” said the 37-year-old woman. “There’s nothing we don’t need, baby food, wipes, diapers.” (YO)