|
ALEPPO, Syria, Nov. 30-- Holding sacks of clothes over their shoulders, several Syrian women frequent a laundry room in eastern Aleppo to wash their clothes and share stories until the 45-minute machine cycle ends. The laundry room was set up two years ago to meet local residents' growing need for washing clothes amid the lack of electricity and economic hardship in Aleppo, as the residents continued to return to their homes following the defeat of the rebels in late 2016. Despite the victory, the situation in eastern Aleppo is tough as the destruction caused by the war is massive, which makes the life of the returnees hard, worsened by lack of money after years of displacement. Some initiatives were launched in coordination with international organizations to help the locals to cope with the life difficulties. The laundry room was provided by a center, called Arabesque, which was established in the Qadi Askar area in eastern Aleppo by the Syrian Society for Social Development and the UN refugee agency UNHCR to help local families. Inside the room, a total of 12 washing machines are aligned next to each other with plastic buckets on top of them for people to empty their loads of clothes, towels and beddings. Local housewives come every day to register their names and take appointments, which are usually granted every week. The only thing they are requested to do is to bring their laundry detergent as the center only provides the washing machines. | 
