Spanish NGO helps Syrian city rebuild, brick by brick

Woman holds brick made by Spanish NGO's 'La Esperanza' factory in Aleppo. Photo: Samuel Aranda/Rescate via Europa Press
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A Spanish non-governmental overseas development organization working since 2001 in Syria has launched a unique fundraising campaign to support its ongoing efforts to aid in the reconstruction of the Syrian city of Aleppo, devastated by continuous bombing of the city in the multi-sided civil war raging in Syria since 2011.

The La Esperanza (“Hope”) brick-making factory, opened by Spanish overseas aid organization Rescate (“Rescue”) with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Aleppo’s Ramouseh neighborhood, has managed to employ more than 136 men and women in the re-manufacture of 31,000 bricks out of some 10,000 tonnes of rubble left by the bombing. Used in the reconstruction of housing in the city, the bricks produced by the project have benefitted an estimated 15,000 Aleppans so far.

► ► CLICK ABOVE TO WATCH VIDEO ABOUT ‘LA ESPERANZA’ FACTORY ► ►

To further finance the project, Rescate has now launched a fundraising effort under the name ALEPOH in conjunction with associations of Spanish brick manufacturing and construction. Using monies from the sale to the Spanish public of 2,000 “Made in Spain for Aleppo” artisanal bricks made by Cerámicas La Paloma in Segovia, the NGO hopes to significantly expand brick-making efforts at the Ramouseh factory in order to help with the reconstruction of homes for the people of Aleppo.

The luxury-edition bricks, made of high-purity Iberian clays and coloured white for “peace”, will be made available in a limited edition of 2,000 at a price of 500 euros each — perhaps the most-expensive brick in the world, but the sale of each brick will fund production of 740 bricks at the La Esperanza factory, providing more than 1.5 million bricks made from the rubble of war that will benefit more than 34,000 residents of Aleppo in the rebuilding their city.

► Find out how to purchase ALEPOH ‘Made in Spain’ bricks, here …

The “Made in Spain” bricks have been produced from a mold designed by the Rioja firm Talleres Morte and the fundraising project has been made possible through the support of the Spanish Association of Brick and Tile Manufacturers (Hispalyt), the Spanish Association of Construction Materials Distributors (Andimac) and the National Confederation of Construction (CNC).

► News Sources: EuropaPress, El País and Interempresas …

► Click to read more news about Development Aid work and Spain …

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