Head of civil society organization: The world has failed Syria

Al Arabiya, 22 February 2016 – “The international humanitarian system has failed Syria,” says Dr. Rouba Mhaissen, CEO of Sawa for Development and Aid, a civil society organization supporting Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and the Sawa Foundation in the UK, during an interview with Al Arabiya English.
Speaking in a telephone interview, she explained how international humanitarian institutions that are meant to serve humanity – whether through medical aid, food, shelter, protection – or education – are not doing their job properly. She explained that besieged areas of Syria were not receiving help, with many of the most vulnerable in neighboring countries ‘dying at the doors of hospitals.’
Yet despite this desperate situation, she said she still felt some degree of hope as local Syrian civil society organizations were bridging the gap, working on the ground to ensure some level of stability to refugees who were fleeing the violence, the detentions, the barrel bombs, and the Russian airstrikes.
“I believe local organizations have a very big role to play and I believe a democratic and strong Syria will depend on these institutions and those young leaders,” she told Al Arabiya news.
Dr. Mhaissen recently gave a speech at the ‘Supporting Syria & the Region 2016’ conference in London, on Feb. 4, where she silenced the crowd with her ‘moving’ take on the situation in Syria.