Bashanad-Laya is one of the villages of the Jabal al-Summaq area in north Idlib countryside. Like Kukku, it is one of the mountain villages and suffers from a very poor humanitarian situation. On 16 June 2020, I conducted an interview with a resident of Bashanad-Laya about life in the village. It is slightly edited and condensed for clarity. Any parenthetical insertions in square brackets are my own.
Q: May I ask a little about the humanitarian and services situation and livelihood in Bashanad-Laya currently?
A: The situation is very difficult. The biggest problem in the village is water. The water is through tankers. The tanker traverses 20 km to reach the water well. The price of bread is expensive and not supported [/subsidised]. The livelihood of the people of the village is through cutting wood. And the wood has very much diminished.
Q: Currently what is the number of original inhabitants and IDPs in the village?
A: The number of families is around 60 families [of original inhabitants and IDPs].
Q: Is there no livelihood through agriculture?
A: There is agriculture but the land is very much rugged terrain, and water for irrigation is not available. If the agriculture were good, it could secure to secure provisions for the household from grains.
Q: How are the electricity services in the village? And are there any NGOs operating in the village?
A: Every household of the village has bought a solar panel with battery. There are currently no supporting NGOs. Many NGOs have come, registering names. Then they disappear.
Q: Frankly there is much deception by the NGOs. Many promises without implementation.
A: More or less this is the case. And if they give, they give to 10 families only, and the rest are deprived.
Q: By God this situation is not good. How has the rise of the price of the dollar impacted life in the village?
A: Everything has become connected with the dollar. Even the tanker has become by the dollar, or in the Turkish lira.
Q: Have you now moved to using the Turkish lira?
A: Until now, no.
Q: In your opinion what is the reason for the neglect of the NGOs towards the village?
A: This thing I have no idea about, but God knows best, corruption.