Israeli aid group gives baby carriers to Syrian refugees

As hundreds and thousands of refugees continue to make their way through the Balkans en-route to Europe, a contingent of Israeli aid workers from IsraAID traveled to the Serbian border with Hungary to distribute supplies to Syrian and Afghan families attempting to enter the European Union.

Among the supplies were dozens of baby slings given by Israelis after a Facebook campaign asking for people donate their old baby equipment to the migrants.

The campaign is based on the worldwide initiative Slings for Refugees, which has collected thousands of baby carriers from across the globe using similar localized Facebook campaigns.

IsraAID Founding Director Shachar Zahavi said this delivery was just a pilot scheme and that over 200 baby slings have been collected since the first consignment left Israel.

“The ball is rolling really fast. We expect it to pick up even more speed,” Zahavi said.

IsraAID currently has a team of 10 volunteers in Serbia and is sending five more volunteers next week. In addition, IsraAID has a team based in Greece providing medical and psychological assistance to Syrian refugees arriving there on boats.

IsraAID delegations have provided humanitarian relief to a number of countries in the past, including Nepal, South Sudan, Haiti and the Philippines.