SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Here in San Diego, several groups have organized locally to gather donations and send support to Turkey and Syria.
“I was born in Damascus, we’ve visited Syria frequently," said Father Anthony Baho, Priest at St. George's Antioch Church. "The situation there is dire, it’s terrible.”
Father Anthony Baho lives in Escondido, but his prayers travel to Syria.
“When the earthquake hit, the big one, the major one, people were sleeping in their homes safely and it was freezing outside with rain and sleet and snow,” Bajo said.
Baho says his family and friends there are okay, but the people are in crisis. They were already suffering after more than a decade of civil war.
“Many people have been displaced many people living in misery.”
But underneath the rubble is hope.
“Based on what I’ve heard from our families when civil authorities are trying to dig through the rubble, civilians will come and help, nobody’s turned away.”
The Patriarch of Antioch has called upon every Orthodox Church in the world to send aid. Any other aid to the region has been disrupted by sanctions and a corrupt government.
“100% of that aid we send goes directly to the victims of the earthquake.”
Baho says the Antioch churches in northern Syria have opened their doors to create shelters for the displaced.
“Anyone who comes and asks for help is brought in.”
Any donations go toward blankets, medicine, and food.
Baho’s church will collect donations at the service this Sunday. If you'd like to donate online, click on one of the following links:
