Every time I read or hear about the fighting and atrocities taking place in Syria, and the suffering being endured there by civilians, especially children (thousands of orphans ending up as street children), my thoughts go back three quarters of a century, to World War II, when I was a child.

Admittedly, Malta suffered a lot then. But what is happening in some areas of the Middle East now seems to be much worse.

In Malta, churches were bombed and, obviously, many religious items within were destroyed. But, as a recent travelling exhibition showed, in Iraq, Isis men went into Christian churches and fired at various items. The effigy of a crucified Christ on a Chaldean cross had one of its arms blown off and a chalice had several bullet holes.

During World War II, Malta was quite well organised. Gas masks for all, protection officers, ARP, special constables, hospitals and special nurses for the wounded, air raid warnings and public shelters, food rationing and victory kitchens and people in exposed areas, like the Three Cities, being accommodated in safe places like the real Villa Messina and the nearby Dominican Priory, in Rabat come to mind.

In Damascus, they do not seem to have anything of the sort. But they have a special guardian angel, a Roman Catholic nun, Sister Annie Demarjian (a qualified engineer), who is mother, father, doctor, nurse, lawyer, counsellor, food and shelter provider to 600 families. In some cases, the help she gives includes paying their rent or their medicine. All this with the help of Aid to the Church in Need (a pontifical foundation of the Catholic Church).

This present-day heroine will be visiting Malta later this week. An excellent way to welcome her and thank her for her humanitarian work would be to send a donation to her, care of her hosts in Malta: Aid to the Church in Need, 39b, Mdina Road, Attard ATD 9038 (tel. 2148 7818).