Syrian, Turkish NGOs open kindergarten for orphans in Syria

RAS AL-AYN, Syria (AA) – Syrian and Turkish charities have opened a kindergarten for 100 orphaned children in the city of Ras al-Ayn in northeastern Syria.

The facility was constructed by the Habur Brotherhood International Humanitarian Aid Association and the Gayret Association.

Local council chief Mohammed Hamza said he hopes the kindergarten “will benefit the children”, extending his thanks to Syrian and Turkish aid associations and donors for opening the facility.

Yasemin Abdullah, a teacher, said children will learn Arabic and Turkish languages at the kindergarten.

“The 6-class kindergarten will educate 100 children, along with spending good time playing in its playground,” he added.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating civil war that began in early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting and more than 10 million displaced, according to the UN.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report.