Qatar, US aid groups sign funding agreement to support Syria's White Helmets

Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) signed a funding agreement on Wednesday to support the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets.

The agreement will see the two agencies finance key operations by the response team to "ensure the continuation of life-saving services in Northwest Syria", according to the Qatar News Agency.

Rebel-held northwestern Syria continues to be targeted by the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. It has been bombed over 84 times since the 6 February earthquake killed thousands of people and destroyed vital infrastructure in the region.

White Helmets rescue teams have had to deal with two disasters - the fall-out of the earthquake and regime bombing.

We thank @USAID and @qatar_fund for their valuable support in our mission to save lives. Their contribution is pivotal in ensuring our ability to provide critical aid and relief to those in need, both now and in the future. https://t.co/ImEzDAFAh9

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) March 29, 2023

"We thank @USAID and @qatar_fund for their valuable support in our mission to save lives. Their contribution is pivotal in ensuring our ability to provide critical aid and relief to those in need, both now and in the future," the White Helmets said in a tweet on Wednesday.

The funding will enable the White Helmets "to cover the essential costs for the deployment of volunteer field teams, maintenance and operation of search and rescue equipment, and provision of medical consumables to meet urgent humanitarian needs", QNA reported.

QFFD and USAID will also work to deal "proactively with any kind of disaster or crisis, in the absence of a shortage of the necessary equipment and capabilities after their occurrence".

Despite their best efforts, the rescue workers were severely limited in their efforts to tackle the 7.8 magnitude quake that hit Syria due to a lack of resources and a slow and much-criticised response from the United Nations, according to aid groups in the region.

Syria has been in a state of war and conflict since 2011, when the Assad regime brutally suppressed peaceful pro-democracy protests and an armed uprising broke out in response.

The conflict has killed over 500,000 people and displaced over half of the country's pre-war population, either internally or externally. Most of the casualites have been due to bombing by the regime or its main ally Russia.