Hasan, a 15-year old, lost his parents and fled his home. He was deprived of warmth, his home city, where he grew up. War had its toll on him, his younger siblings and his elder brother and his family (wife and kids), they all fled to Damascus Suburbs, where they lived in a company in Adra Industrial City
Hasan arrived to Damascus, without parents, without hope, without identification documents, and unable to carry on with his education. Encircled by high cost of living and harsh living conditions, Hasan had to financially support his elder brother.
He worked in a mechanical workshop, the work environment posed many dangers to Hasan, particularly given his young age. After some time has passed, Hasan came to know of Farah Community Center (SSSD) through the activities of child protection program. He considered the center his safe haven, where the team received him with warm heart and carefully listened to his worries
The case manager gradually built confidence with Hasan. After some sessions, the adolescent boy opened up his heart by saying, “I am subject to violence, the workshop owner beats and insults me, but I cannot quit my work, I need money to ensure my younger siblings and I could live with ease.”
 
The case manager designed the intervention plan along with his Hasan. She referred him and his family to Syria Trust’s legal program to obtain a lost replacement of the civil status family book and other identification documents. She also referred him to the mentor program and child protection campaigns. Since he showed a strong will to carry on with his education, she referred him to the remedial educational classes offered at the center.
The case manager closely followed up on Hasan’s progress and met up with his elder brother to come up with solutions to his problems, including work.
Hard work paid off: close attention to respond to Hasan’s needs and alter the dangers he faced; Hasan’s life is positively progressing, you could see him smiling again, you could sense hope in his attitude and his words seem more clear.
Today Hasan has identification documents, he has friends, he is no working in the dangerous workshop environment, he started a new job at a barber’s shop, where he faces less dangers on his health and his physical and psychological growth. His educational level is better. Hasan expressed his advancement by saying,
“I was reborn today. I know exactly what to do and how to carry on with my life. I am studying and I am ready to sit for the Ninth Grade National Exam at the end of this year. I have friends. I am working in a proper place and I am learning a good vocation. I am able to provide for myself and my younger siblings.”
Hasan did not regain his home; however, the Syrian Society for Social Development restored his dignity and helped him regain his right to education. With hope and persistence, Hasan would build a resilient home that withstands destruction

Ms.Siham, a 42-year-old resident of Douma who used to own a photography shop, is now a widow and mother to six children, whose ages range from primary school to college. She also has a missing nephew. Seven years ago, she was forced to flee from Douma to the ‘Adra Industrial Zone, after losing both home and shop, and was hosted by a family of her relatives.
When she betook herself to the SSSD community center in ‘Adra, Siham was clearly depressive. Her material want was mainly responsible for her deteriorating psychological condition. She was soon interviewed by the psychologist who referred her to the Small Business Grants Program in order to find a radical solution to her problem by securing her with a job that could sustain her and her children and offer the family a certain measure of autonomy.
Siham attended a training course in SMP creation and management. During the course, she was highly interactive with the coach thanks to her considerable past experience. After the course, she appeared before a committee and was selected to start up her own small business, namely that of a photography shop!
Once the business was launched, we visited Siham to follow up on her project. She was working hard to make it work and prosper.
She confirmed that her life had changed completely after the start of her business. Her material burdens receded and both her son and daughter could now leave work and resume college. Her psychological condition improved and her spirits rose high. She is more than motivated to develop her business—Beautiful Picture.
At the end of the visit, Siham expressed her heartfelt gratitude to SSSD for the services it offers to the community where she lives.

Ms. Huda is 34 years old and has four daughters. She used to live in Babilah where, in accordance with local customs, she married at 15 a young man aged 21. He was unemployed, living in his parents’ home, and even receiving his pocket money from his mother, which gave the latter tremendous power over the couple. It is at this point that problems arose between the spouses.
Huda was very good at school and her parents had agreed to marry her off on the condition that she follows her education. After marriage, however, her husband and in-laws broke their promise and denied her the right to continue school. At her mother-in-law’s incitement, Huda was beaten and threatened with divorce, especially because she gave birth only to girls. Her parents advised her to remain patient—to no avail. Nothing in her life improved; on the contrary, things went from bad to worse.
Huda had a moment of respite when her husband left the country with his parents, leaving her with two young girls. So, she seized the occasion to resume her schooling. Soon after his return, however, she gave birth to her third daughter and problems returned…
It was then that he decided to marry someone else, a divorced woman who had already a son from a previous marriage. Huda returned home with her three daughters and filed a divorce lawsuit. In the meantime, she was employed in a school. But when the war broke out in Syria, she began with her family to move from one area to another and lost her job.
Desperate and resigned to her fate, she decided to return to her husband and traveled to Saudi Arabia to live with him, her fellow wife and in-laws. Soon enough, the man repeated the same old violence pattern, hitting her and the daughters. Then, a fourth daughter was born with a congenital heart defect.
One day, Huda learned that her husband had, seven months earlier, raped two of his daughters—one 10 years old and the other 12. Enough was enough! She decided to call the police. The girls were medically examined but that did not prove the fact because long time had elapsed since. The psychological report on the girls’ condition, however, confirmed their exposure to a traumatic event. Consequently, Huda and her daughters were referred to a protection center in Saudi Arabia, where they stayed for two years and a half unbeknownst to her parents. She fought for divorce, which she eventually obtained after much trouble and huge concessions, and retuned to Syria, only to live with her parents under extremely difficult circumstances and constant social rejection for being divorced.
Finally, Huda was told about the Beit al-Wiam Community Center, Jaramana, through her mother, who regularly attended the women’s sessions thereat. So, she visited the CC in the hope of getting help for her daughters.
She was soon referred to the CP case manager, who requested a concertation meeting with the psychologist and the GBV case manager in order to establish a joint assessment of the case, offer the woman the best possible assistance and develop an effective intervention plan.
Huda was referred to the legal service to get a family book and identity documents for her daughters, which she acquired.
To help her stay in a separate house, some of her most urgent material needs were secured through the CLI Program, such as blankets and other NFIs. She was also offered a wooden wardrobe.
Great attention was paid to Huda by the GBV case manager and she was regularly followed up by the psychologist through individual sessions, which greatly boosted her morals and restored her self-confidence. Her constancy and seriousness throughout the PSS sessions helped her cope with her family’s situation, learn how to deal with her daughters and manage her own situation.
Since she had a good experience as a hairdresser, she was referred, in parallel with the PSS sessions, to the Livelihoods Program to help her get a women’s hairdressing toolkit so she could make a fresh start by earning a living and become fairly autonomous. As she had a strong potential, she was also offered the opportunity to work with SSSD. This both helped in securing her a steady income and enabled us to follow up on her and continue to support her psychologically.
Huda found her work in the context of the GBV Program very rewarding, particularly after she participated in awareness campaigns. This made her aware of various key GBV-related issues, especially when she took part in campaign against early marriage, which definitely strengthened her determination to insist upon her daughters’ education and continue her own education. Thanks to the SSSD follow-up and help, Huda got the high school certificate and registered at the university. Here is what she has to say to fellow women in similar conditions:
“The whole process restored my self-confidence and helped my character-building. Even my thoughts changed and life restarted in my small family. New dreams began to grow…
“We’re so grateful to SSSD. They helped me, helped my children, showed concern for each small detail in our lives, gave us a helping hand until we reached safety. SSSD was indeed a dot of light in the darkness of my life…
“That’s why I say to every woman subjected to violence: ‘Don’t give up, don’t surrender, don’t let yourself be broken, take up the challenge, be stronger than the circumstances!’”

Words worth contemplating and reflection , Qamar, a 22-year old, an IDP from Jobar, lives with her family in a rented apartment in Al-Hameh and her father goes through hardship to make little income.
She has always had passion toward the high tech world, namely, PCs and Lap Tops. Completing high school, she chose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in IT, as she wanted to master everything involving PCs, especially its components and parts, how to perform maintenance, programming, and networks.
However, her family was not able to buy her the IT tools required for the practical part of the university’s curriculum. Consequently, she felt embarrassed in front of her peers and gave up her dream quitting college.
Luckily, hope knocked on her door again, when an outreach volunteer visited her to assess her financial and educational needs, encouraging her to apply to the Livelihood Toolkit Program (PC Maintenance Tools). Later, the program’s committee held a panel interview with Qamar and reached a decision to offer her the toolkit.
During our follow up visit, Qamar expressed her happiness: “The toolkit was like a shining star that lit my way, motivating and enabling me to pursue my higher education and work. Now, I am working for an IT maintenance shop in Al-Bahsa and making adequate money to support my father.”
She carried on, “I am really grateful to SSSD and UNHCR. I am thankful to everyone who had a helping hand in supporting my education journey. I am thankful to everyone who participated in finding me a good paying job, keeping me away from abuse.”

Two-year old Etidal, a person with Down syndrome, lives in a family of six. The family was displaced from rural Aleppo and lives currentlyin an unfinished house in Jaramana, Daff al-Sakher. When they came to visit the community center to receive some services, the girl was registered, referred to the Rehabilitation Program and integrated into a Friendship Group. In fact, all children were enrolled in age-appropriate activities to obtain services offered at the CC.

When interviewing the mother (with the girl present), the Program and what it can offer was explained to her, especially as it is applied at home mainly and helps the whole family develop some objectives along with the Dawn person.

An evaluation was conducted with both mother and girl, and on the basis of that, a family plan suited to Etidal’s needs was developed. Those needswere explained to the mother and she was provided with appropriatetools and games to achieve the desired objectives.

Through follow-up and practical sessions with both girl and mother, it was established that the girl achieved several objectives:
- She is no longer afraid of leaving her mother at home in her familiar environment with familiar people.
- She no longer crawlsaround the house or move carried around, but walks autonomously and runs to escape or play.
- When talking to her, she nods or shakes her head to affirm or negate, and tries to communicate with the caregiver through sight, waiting for the confirmation of something, and tries to draw attention by applauding or disappearing behind hands.
- She expressesher needs (hunger and thirst) in words, sounds and gestures instead of crying; she names some objects, mimics some simple sounds/words and songs and mentions some names, especially those of her siblings in their absence.
- She is no longer afraid when changing the position of her body from sitting to standing and from lying down to sitting in order to do something.
- She is no longer afraid from hiding to play and loves to play with her siblings, fits with the group, and follows the rules by imitating some of the children’s or siblings’ movements.
- She has become more aware and in control of her surroundings: when seeing sunlight coming from the window she drawsthe curtains; when seeingtrash she throws it in the trash bin; when feeling cold she brings a blanket to feel warm; etc.
- She used to be indifferent to pictures or any drawings she saw. Now, however, when she sees a picture her mother had talked to her about, she points to it with her index requesting from her mother to bring it and talk to her about it again.
- Thanks to the increasing attention given to her and to finding a suitable place where she can play, away from unsafe sources of contamination, the girl’s health improved and she was finally rid of a chronic intestinal infection.

The family’s happiness with this change was immense. It facilitated a lot of things for them and created a relaxed atmosphere within the household. This is why the family continues to help Etidal, cooperating by enjoying playing with her or doing any activity that improves her performance and offers her more autonomy in some simple daily activities.
Work is still going on to plan forward towards subsequent objectives.