Southfield nonprofit puts volunteers on ground in Turkey, pushes for more aid in Syria
SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - When a natural disaster like the one that tore through Turkey and Syria happens, Javaid Siddiqi says he is usually met with a mass of generous donations.
"When disasters happen to be first thing and the situation is people need blankets, they need winter clothing because people had to come out of their homes and apartments and buildings," Siddiqi said, CEO of Helping Hands Relief and Development in Southfield.
"We have team members who have just arrived as of this morning in an in Turkey in Istanbul."
While it's his job to coordinate his more than 20 offices across the country to expedite emergency relief, Siddiqi says this time it is not as simple as collecting supplies and shipping containers.
"What we are hoping to be able to do is to purchase items in Turkey and ship them to Syria, because a lot of people are interested right now trying to send items or give or drop off items. But the challenge is, even if when we send these containers, and do all these kind drives that we are doing right now, the challenge with that is it doesn't reach there until the next three to four weeks," he said.
With political tensions high with Syria and aid lower when compared to the neighboring country of Turkey, Syrian victims are afraid of being forgotten.
"The situation even before this earthquake in Syria was really bad, and this just exacerbated the situation tremendously," Siddiqi said.
He says it's not stopping him from sitting at the table with the Turks if it helps save those in Syria searching for their next meal.
"We actually had on a Zoom conference call with the ambassador of Turkey in Washington, D.C.," Siddiqi told CBS News Detroit Wednesday.
"We want to make sure that these supplies and this aid reaches the right people," Siddiqi says.
Click here to donate or contribute towards Helping Hand Relief & Development in their efforts to send aid to Turkey and Syria.