Protection

In times of conflict, children are the most vulnerable to trauma. The children of Syria have gone through all sorts of terrible experiences since the beginning of the uprising seven years ago, which led to many psychological problems to children, especially within families who were forced to flee their homes to escape the continuous shelling.
IhsanRD works to provide psychosocial support to children through a number of field activities such as the establishment of Child-Friendly Spaces distributed in many regions in Syria, that provide safe places for children to play and learn.

IhsanRD also has a number of mobile teams that provide psychosocial support to children in vast areas in Syrian cities and countrysides through recreational activities like games, competitions and group songs for children, as well as awareness activities on child protection issues and raising awareness of war remnants.

Ms. Azza a Protection Officer at IhsanRD said: “bittersweet feelings on our faces when many children at the end of the activity ask us if the team will return the next day. We wish we could visit children on a daily basis especially when they invite us to visit them again, that’s how we feel the importance of our work.

In addition to activities for children, the mobile teams organize awareness sessions for adults within the Parental Skills Program, which aims to train parents and raise their awareness about correct pedagogy and dealing with children.

Conclusion of the final session in 2017 within the Women’s Creative Centers project implemented by Ihsan for Relief and Development in Armanaz, Souran and Jarablus, as well as the newly opened Kabbasin Center, following the great success achieved by the listed three centers in providing support to women and girls participating in the development life skills, entertainment activities and awareness raising. The centers include activities and multiple classes in literacy, computer skills, sewing classes, wool knitting, English classes and hairdressing classes, as well as life skills sessions for girls. The activities of the centers also include mobile teams conducting awareness sessions for women and girls outside the center.

Hanan, one of the participants in the center, said: “I joined the Women’s Creative Center supported by IhsanRD to learn sewing and develop my work skills so that I can start my own project, which I have dreamed of since I was a child, to design and make beautiful dresses for brides. The center has been a great help for me and I think I am now able to pursue my dream”

Ms.Majd, the project’s officer in IhsanRD, said: “During 2017, 6,000 women and girls participated in the Women’s Innovation Support Centers through the scheduled activities within the centers, in addition to the 18,000 women and girls the project team had access to as part of the outreach and recreation activities outside the center”. Ms.Majd also added: “IhsanRD has been able to support women’s creativity and help them through this project to acquire life skills and enable them to rely on themselves and raise their awareness of the importance of their role in the community and developing of communication skills with their families, in addition to special lectures for mothers to deal with their children “

The three centers in Armanaz, Souran and Jarablus held a closing ceremony in which certificates of attendance were distributed, then an exhibition of products and works of women participating in the center.

In addition to the planned activities inside and outside the centers, the project team has distributed 27,000 dignity kits to women and girls from newly displaced families in the region.

By the end of 2017 and the beginning of the new year, IhsanRD will continue its project of Women’s Creative Centers in 2018 with a plan to extend the successful experience of these centers to other places in the Syrian governorates.

Through its projects, IhsanRD aims to support and empower Syrian women through its diverse programs, such as the Women’s Creative Centers, which are implemented by the Protection Program in IhsanRD, as well as the project of Food Processing Centers in Daraa and Idleb governorates within the Food Security and Livelihoods Program, which aims to empower widows and women directly affected by the war in Syria, by training the women to be able to work in these centers and manage them optimally, then IhsanRD team supplies them with raw materials needed to be manufactured within the centers and provide a quality product to the local market made by the hands of Syrian women.

The Child-Friendly Space (CFS) Supported by IhsanRD in Armnaz held an Open Day for children on occasion of ending its fifth session. The Open Day has included a variety of activities such as games, theater performances, sketches, and workshops, as well as joint songs that have delighted the children. 428 children have participated in the fifth session of the Center’s scheduled activities for two months; it has included psychological support, recreational and awareness activities. IhsanRD team also has conducted outdoor recreational activities. An estimated 4789 Children have been reached during the fifth session.