When the lights go out in Syria
When the lights go out in Syria, it’s dark in the streets of Latakia, a big city on the Mediterranean coast. Streetlights are not functioning. Lights can only be seen sporadically in many apartment buildings. Even in 2022, Syria is a country where the people lack one of the 21st century’s basic needs: electricity.
Electricity is on in Latakia only three times a day for half an hour each time. The electricity situation differs per city but, for most of the hours of the day, there is no electricity.
Darkness is the one thing that you can clearly ‘see’ when travelling in Syria. Streets are covered in darkness and windows in the evening and night are black squares on the walls of apartment buildings. The lights that are on are LED lamps that function on batteries. Most of the shops have a battery, often a car battery, that takes over when the electricity cuts out, as long as the battery lasts.
“We don’t have the generators that Aleppo has,” says father Fadi, a pastor in Latakia. Indeed, in Aleppo, people who can afford it pay for the use of the big noisy generators in the streets. They provide just sufficient power to have some light at home but are not delivering sufficient power for running a washing machine, a refrigerator, or air conditioning. The people in Aleppo are more experienced in lacking electricity, as early in the Syrian war, the city was often completely cut off from electricity for longer periods. That was when generators came to the city.
If visiting Syria, you would see this happen time after time: all of a sudden during conversation electricity would stop and everything is suddenly in full darkness. However, locals have adapted and quickly they use the flashlights on their mobile phones to lighten up the rooms again and just continue the conversation…at least when their mobile phones are charged.
“There are rumours that soon there will be no power at all,” one Syrian church leader says. “That would mean we will be in full darkness.”
What the reason is for the lack of energy isn’t fully clear. Of course, the infrastructure is damaged due to war and lack of maintenance. But even before the war started in 2011, Syrian cities often had power cuts as the power plants in the country couldn’t keep up with demand.
In many houses, the washing machine hasn’t been used for years. With only half an hour of electricity, a machine won’t function as it should. For George Tarrab, who has a workshop in Aleppo where he does maintenance of washing machines, this means less work. “People don’t bring their washing machine for repairs as they can’t use their machine.”
The lack of electricity also affects all students in Syria. How do you study at home when there is not enough light? How do you keep your laptop working when there is no energy to charge it? Many students now thankfully use study rooms that are made available by churches, some with the support of Open Doors. There they have guaranteed electricity via a generator, stable internet connection and light.
Amgad Saba, a 32-year-old man in Latakia, feels also that his business is hindered by the lack of electricity. He started a grocery shop in 2019 and bought a car that he uses for buying vegetables and fruit. Although his income is good, the current situation in Syria hinders him from making bigger improvements. “As there is no electricity, I can’t sell frozen products.”
For the elderly people living in apartments, the electricity cuts are having a big impact on their lives. “I have a man in my parish who cannot walk up and down the stairs. As the elevators stopped working because of the electricity, he cannot leave his house. The elderly often can’t leave their houses; that also goes for pregnant women,” says pastor Fadi in Latakia. “As these people cannot come to church, I visit them at home to have communion with them.”
Please Pray
- Pray for power and electricity for Syria, also that people can continue to have community even in this challenging time.
- Pray for Syrian Christians to be able to return to their homes and families, and for God’s continued restoration for those who have already returned.
- Pray for Syrian believers to be the light of hope in Syria, providing comfort and wisdom to all who are suffering.
- Pray for the Word of God to saturate the land of Syria and that people will find new joy, strength and hope when meditating upon it.
Below is the link to our One Million Prayers of Hope campaign. You can add your name to the map and light it up with prayer. Join the global call to prayer for our brothers and sisters in Syria and Iraq. They faced a decade of war. Now they’re facing economic collapse, persecution and discrimination.
One Million Prayer of Hope
Let us stand with them to make hope last. Use the link bellow and add your light to the map to show where you are praying from.
