Moscow students launch campaign to collect aid for Syrian youth

MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. The students of several Moscow universities have launched a campaign to collect aid for their Syrian peers affected by military activities and terror attacks, the campaign started on Monday at the Moscow Automobile and Road Construction University, head of the campaign co-organizer Studfond student foundation Roksana Gabriyelyan said.

"The campaign has been initiated by the students who want to help the Syrian youth. We will establish a hot line, all the information is available on the Studfond website, all the interested students can participate in the campaign," Gabriyelyan noted saying that Moscow State University, Moscow State Institute of International Relations and Peoples' Friendship University of Russia have joined the campaign.

According to Gabriyelyan, there are six big universities in Syria with the overall number of students totaling about 120,000. According to her, the Russian students asked the Syrian universities to provide a list of the things they needed. "Despite all hostilities, the teaching and learning activities are going on in Syria but the students lack stationery. We will contact philanthropists and charity organizations to receive financial support," the Studfond head said.

Boxes to collect stationery items have been installed in the lobby of the Moscow Automobile and Road Construction University, the campaign will run until December 20. All the collected stuff will be sent to Syria with the assistance of the Syrian ambassador to Russia, Gabriyelyan elaborated.

President of the Union of Syrian Students in Russia and CIS Ramadan Mussa told TASS that the Syrian students who are studying in Russia (over 10,000 people) intended to join the campaign.

The Studfond foundation, established in January 2016, particularly aims at providing social assistance to those in need. The campaign to collect aid for Syrian students is the foundation’s first international activity.