“To save one life is to save all of humanity.” –Qur’an 5:32
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They’ve saved 60,000 lives in Syria from under the rubble. Their helmets signify hope.
You’ve seen Omran. You’ve seen the miracle baby with the volunteer in the white helmet crying as the baby began to cry again after they thought him dead. These volunteers are more than just volunteers – they’re a group saving tens of thousands and more, providing hope everywhere their white helmets are seen.
In 2014, the United Nations passed Resolution 2139 banning barrel bombs (bombs that equate the seismological magnitude of 7.6) and other “indiscriminate weapons,” promising to take further action if this resolution was violated. Since that time, thousands of barrel bombs (around 50 per day) have been dropped in Syria killing thousands of adults and thousands of children and the UN has yet to take action.
In 2015, they passed a resolution banning the use of Chlorine as a chemical weapon, saying that if this type of chemical warfare continued the Council would be able to use force to protect civilians under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Yet, since that time, dozens of this type of chemical attack have been used against civilians in Syria, and the UN has yet to act.
Life expectancy in Syria has dropped by 20 years in just the last five. The death toll only goes higher. And this is where the White Helmets come in.
In Syria, warzones are everywhere. You can’t dial 911 for help. You can’t call the fire department. You can’t expect aid from the places you are trained to expect aid from if you are buried under the rubble.
These places don’t exist. Government-provided civilian aid does not exist.
The White Helmets take their place and fill their void. 
They’re calling on the UN to hold through on their demands. But, in the meantime, they’re taking action themselves, going around Syria and saving lives. They save people on all sides of conflict, because they “don’t care if he’s an enemy or a friend. What concerns [them] is the soul that might die.” Their motto is “Humanity, Solidarity, Impartiality” and is outlined by the International Civil Defense Organization.
They give the hope of a lifeline to every Syrian in times of destruction.
They are unarmed and neutral sources of hope. They are volunteers from all walks of life – bakers, tailors, engineers, pharmacists, painters, carpenters, students, and every other profession one could think up. They are civilians themselves. Men and women. Just like you or me.
In addition to saving lives, they provide public services to nearly 7 million people – reconnecting electric cables, providing safety information to children, securing buildings, providing emergency shelter, and getting people to medical care. Many are trained in medical care themselves, and they have purchased ambulances with donated money to save as many lives as they can.
The White Helmets are made up of some 3,000 Syrian civilians and are some of the first to respond to Syrian airstrikes. They’ve been doing so for the last six years, and were inspired by the Quranic verse, “To save a life is to save all of humanity.” Each of them has saved someone.
They are the largest civil society organization operating outside Syrian government control, and despite the danger they face, they continue to work to save as many lives as they can and provide hope to millions in the process.
More than 130 organizations worldwide have pledged their support for The White Helmets, and an initiative has been launched to award the group to win the Nobel Prize.
To learn more about The White Helmets, visit their website here, or watch the new Netflix documentary, "The White Helmets" (trailer below).
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As said by Raed Al Saleh, the head of the Syria Civil Defense (The White Helmets), “We’ve saved 60,000 lives from under the rubble. Yet I know that we don’t have the money to pay for hospital treatment if one of us is injured. I know if a team member loses their life, we have nothing to give to their family… these brave volunteers are giving everything.”
Four of their centers have been bombed by Russian aircrafts, with subsequent attacks killing more of the volunteers. Subsequent attacks are a norm in Syria – once volunteers come to the victims’ aid, another attack comes to attack the volunteers.
To help The White Helmets continue to give aid, save lives, and help the families of the 134+ White Helmets who have died, click here.
