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I am Proud of the Progress I made

"B" is a 16-year old girl who belongs to an internally displaced family coming from Hajar Aswad area and currently living in Al- Qadam area. Her family consists of her father who does not have a stable job, her mother (a house wife), her elder sister (a 19- year old) and her special needs brother.


The girl used to be fearful of the idea of being part of social activities and communicating with others. The team attached to the Syrian Society for Social Development (SSSD) successfully convinced the girl to come back to Dahab Community Center and join the informal educational program (IFE). The girl showed repeated aggressive behavior and seemed introverted.

Her reactions were nervous and violent; she used to be short-tempered and often left the activity she was involved in.
During the ice- breaking activities in the first session of the IFE, the girl said that she hated school and teachers.

Teachers had made fun of her capabilities, which adversely affected her self-esteem and doubled her hate for mathematics, which later became her dilemma subject.
The intervention plan prepared by SSSD team included two main aspects.


The first aspect revolved educational activities covering diversified topics, namely, no to sarcasm, accept me the way I am, Myself vs. difficulties, seeking education secures the future, my trust is the source of my happiness, studying the interactive book of numbers, and studying the mental calculation series (addition, subtraction, multiplication).
The second aspect revolved referring her to the psychosocial support program, at which she received support about anger management techniques and ways of handling short-temper, and learned how to replace them with positive behavioral reactions that suit the situation. The topics the tailored program covered were: non-violent communication, dialogue, proper expression of feelings. Further, the child was trained on focusing on her strength and ways of overcoming her fear.
The team also helped out the girl in building up her self-esteem, accepting herself, and increasing her self-confidence by activating the role of her supportive social network.
The girl was happy to talk about her radical change, "I no longer get irritated and sad any more. I do not feel scared if someone is mad at me." She added, "I used to cry if someone asks me to add two numbers. Thanks to you I really like mathematics and I learnt how to add numbers without fear and tears."
The mother confirmed, "My daughter has really changed: her short temperament is less, she is excited to carry on with her education. Like the center's name suggest, you are all about gold (Dahab)."
One of her peers said, "B has changed the way she deals with us. She talks to us and plays with us. She no longer gets mad at us."
The girl decided to sit for the ninth grade national exam and our team will support her in this courageous step to ensure she successfully passes this educational stop.
The girl revealed, "I made giant strides thanks to you. I will never ever forget this. I hope I would be given the chance to actively spread the word about my progress in front of the community

 

 

Questscope

Pearl Beads Event—Arab Cultural Center, al-Zahira

In the context of skills development of children with specific needs, and in order to enhance the latter’s self-confidence, the SSSD team organized an event at the Arab Cultural Center, al-Zahira, under the title Pearl Beads.

Participation included children of the Friendship Groups from al-Zahira, Harasta and Dar al-Karama centers, who offered the audience a series of artistic performances (dances, singing, poetry), prepared and rehearsed over three months during the Friendship Groups activities. The highlight of the evening was and exhibition of handicrafts by the children.

Together to Build a Promising Generation—Lam‘et Dahab Center, al-Zahira, Damascus

“Together to Build a Promising Generation” was the title of the two-month event carried out by the Syrian Society for Social Development team at the Arab Cultural Center in Kafr-Souseh. The event came as the series of activities’ closure of the Child Protection Programme implemented at the Lam‘et Dahab Center, in cooperation with the Damascus Health Directorate and the Polyclinic Centre, Diabetes Department.

The event brought together local community children with their diabetic peers, and comprised a group of acts presented by the participating children, including drama sketches, dancing, choir singing and taekwondo katas. The audience, which comprised caregivers and locals, as well as the Health Director in Damascus and a group of doctors working at the Ministry of Health, cheerfully interacted with the children’s performances.

At the end of the event, one of the caregivers shared her joy for participating and stated her opinion by saying, “I am thrilled that my son boldly went on stage and talked about the everyday suffering diabetic children go through. Thank you for this opportunity.”

 

More Photos

International Women’s Day“Equality for a Better Tomorrow”

Out of the belief of the important role women play in the community and in honor to women’s contribution, the Syrian Society for Social Development team, Lama’et Dahab, conducted an event “Equality for a Better Tomorrow” celebrating international women’s day at Al-Zahira Center, Damascus, with the participation of 88 women and 165 adolescents and children.

The event included many parts, such as, sketches and dances for children. It revolved around introducing international women’s day (8th of March) and raising the awareness of different age groups about the concept of gender equality.

The women expressed their happiness of the event in their honor and were touched to receive roses in an atmosphere of joy and respect.

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