'Hope City' brings new homes, services to displaced families in Syria
An aerial view shows the buildings established as part of the "Hope City" project, Tukli village near Azaz, northern Syria, Nov. 27, 2024. (AA Photo)


The Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and Qatar Charity have jointly launched a major humanitarian project in Syria's northern Aleppo region. The "Hope City" project, located in Tukli village near Azaz, aims to provide a new home for 1,400 families currently living in difficult conditions at the Bab al-Salam refugee camp.

Since the outbreak of Syria's civil war in 2011, millions of Syrians have been displaced, both within the country and abroad, many living in overcrowded and under-resourced refugee camps in the northern parts of Syria. In response, IHH, which has been providing humanitarian aid in Syria since the beginning of the conflict, partnered with Qatar Charity to create a new settlement to support displaced families.

Hope City, which spans 280 acres of land, includes 1,400 housing units, with 1,200 units of 50 square meters (538.19 square feet) each and 200 units of 100 square meters. The settlement features a mosque, schools for both girls and boys, a kindergarten, a vocational training school, a community center, a sports complex, a clinic, a multipurpose conference hall, an administration building, a police station and a market with 50 shops.

All essential services, including electricity, lighting, clean water, and waste management, are provided. The ongoing relocation of families from the Bab al-Salam camp to Hope City is expected to improve their living conditions, particularly ahead of the harsh winter season.

Durmuş Aydın, general secretary of IHH, emphasized that families who had been living in makeshift tents for years are now moving into fully equipped homes in Hope City. "The completion of this project, particularly before the winter, brings us great joy. These 1,400 families will finally have better living conditions," Aydın said. "Hope City is fully equipped with basic infrastructure, including water and sewage systems, electricity, and paved roads."