Thanks to the support of the European Union, we take care of children at risk and people with vulnerability in the governorates of Hama and Rural Damascus
Nour is a 14-year-old girl living with her mother and younger brothers in Beit Sawa, Syria. Due to the difficult living conditions of the entire family, Nour had to drop out of school for over a year to stay at home and take care of her brothers while her mother went to work. In August 2022, Nour started to participate in psychosocial support activities at the INTERSOS centre dedicated to supporting minors and people with vulnerabilities and from the very beginning, signs of distress due to dropping out of school became evident in her behaviour. Nour felt sad and disappointed at not being able to attend school, which led her to isolate herself more and more frequently and lose self-confidence. Since then, the centre’s social workers encouraged her to start psychosocial support and she started to attend individual counselling sessions on the importance of education. During the meetings, Nour received a education kit with everything she needed to start studying again and was also tutored by a local teacher who provides free-of-charge remedial classes.
In addition, the mother also participated in awareness-raising activities related to stress management, the importance of school, and how dropping out can negatively affect minors’ life. The mother also shared her experience with other parents in the same situation. This has enabled her to fully understand her daughter’s emotions and encourage her in her studies. Moreover, she started organising herself to work in the afternoon only, enabling her daughter to attend school in the morning. The teacher who follows Nour confirms that her performance has improved, as her psychological well-being: the girl is much more proactive and self-confident.
INTERSOS’ intervention
Since November 2021, in Syria, INTERSOS has provided prevention, protection and psychosocial assistance to 30,500 people, including 23,609 minors. Thanks to the support of the European Union, and in collaboration with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), INTERSOS has launched a project in the governorates of Hama and Rural Damascus to provide basic protection services to conflict-affected communities, children, and vulnerable adults. As part of the project, it opened and operates four protection centres offering integrated prevention and response services through awareness-raising campaigns, support, and psychosocial assistance to the vulnerable population.
During 2023, twelve years after the beginning of the conflict, an estimated 15.3 million people in Syria will need humanitarian assistance, an increase of 0.7 million compared to 2022. Protracted fighting in different parts of the country and the continuing deterioration of the socio-economic situation make the issue increasingly complex. 77% of Syrian households do not have sufficient income to cover the most basic needs, while almost 60% of the population only has access to electricity between three and eight hours a day. In Syrian government-controlled areas, income would have to increase by two-thirds to enable families to meet their most basic needs. Female-headed households have the most difficulty: 16% have no source of income, and in 2022 they were 6%. The inability to meet basic needs pushes many families to extreme vulnerability, a factor that further puts children at risk. It is estimated that more than 6,7 children will need protection during 2023.
* Name was changed to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the assisted person.