Formation 1993 Legal status Foundation Headquarters Kobane | Type Nonprofit organization Purpose Humanitarian | |
Region served Rojava, Western Kurdistan | ||
The Kurdish Red Crescent (Kurdish: Heyva Sor) is a humanitarian nonprofit organization with centers in Germany and Kobane in the de facto autonomous region of Rojava in Syria. It is the primary provider of medical care and aid for refugees who have fled from attacks by ISIL and the Bashar Assad regime. It is also involved in the reconstruction of Kobane, which was largely destroyed after months of fighting with ISIL.
Contents
Projects
There are five main projects of Heyva Sor: Children's Project, Health Project, Emergency Aid Project, Prisoner Solidarity Project and the Project for Cooperation with Like-Minded Aid Organizations.
Appeals
The Kurdish Red Crescent has called for international medical and humanitarian aid, as well as for medical personnel to return to Kobane to help as there is no clean water or sewage treatment due to damage during the Siege of Kobane.
Fundraising
There are fundraising branches in several European countries: including Germany and Sweden where the society was founded in 1993, and the UK where the organization is registered as a charity.
ICRC
The Kurdish Red Crescent is not currently a member of the International Committee of the Red Cross or part of the International Federation. In 2010 the Supervisory and Service Directorate of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany ruled that the Kurdish Red Crescent could not use the Red Crescent or the Red Cross symbols because only states are authorized to do so.
Criticism
Turkish police claim the Kurdish Red Crescent provides financial support and new recruits to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey and some other countries.