Within the framework of raising awareness about COVID-19 and to be part of the worldwide campaign of “Stay at Home”, the team of the Syrian Society for Social Development distributed greeting cards and attached informative letters to women on Mother’s Day in Lamaet Dahab Center, Al Zahira, Damascus.

The beneficiaries of the protection, community services, and Hear-My-Heart programs received the cards and letters.

The awareness raising letters contained information and advice about the importance of personal hygiene, regular washing of hands and usage of sterilizers, as well as quitting consuming ready-made food from the market.

One of the women who received a letter commented, “All of us should stay at home to protect ourselves, our kids, and older persons.”

The team encouraged caregivers to share knowledge among their social circles, asked them to stay at home, and cautioned them to avoid gatherings to protect their health against infection.

As part of the national preventive measures against COVID-19, the Syrian Society for Social Development conducted several awareness raising sessions in Beit Al Salam Center, Al Hameh, Rural Damascus, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The sessions targeted the staff and volunteers working in the center to empower them to follow proper procedures while dealing with the beneficiaries (different groups from the local community) and to educate them about proper handling of the inquiries of the beneficiaries about the virus.

Doctors and specialists volunteered to conduct the above-mentioned sessions. The sessions covered: (1) how the virus spreads and ways of infection, (2) prevention means, (3) illustration of the correct way of washing hands and wearing face masks.

The volunteers attending the session affirmed, “This session was very important and beneficial. We are no longer worried about attending to the inquires of the beneficiaries. Information is power and we are confident about sharing it with them.”

It is worth mentioning that the team followed disinfection measures as detailed.

• Before entering the hall, attendees were sprayed with sterilization material.
• During the session, the hall was disinfected.
• The attendees were divided into small groups to mitigate the risk of gathering in a closed space. 

With the aim of raising awareness about COVID-19 and encouraging adolescents to follow healthy, proper practices and avoid unhealthy practices, the team of the Syrian Society for Social Development conducted awareness raising sessions titled “Protect yourself and others from Infection” as part of the Child Protection Program in Khaled Ibn Al Waleed Institute, Rural Damascus.

The sessions included preventive steps against the virus, such as, maintaining one’s personal hygiene and the correct way of washing hands. In addition to providing some information about ways of infection and prevention.

A group of volunteers, who had attended an awareness session facilitated by doctors and specialists, were responsible for conducting the adolescent sessions. They ensured conveying the right information to the beneficiaries.

The adolescents said that the sessions corrected some wrong conceptions and gave them the chance to discuss and inquire.

As part of the Syrian Society for Social Development’s response to counter the spread of COVID-19, SSSD's team, in the city of Izraa, Daraa, implemented a sterilization campaign for all the streets and public facilities. The latter was carried out in cooperation with the municipal council of the city of Izraa.

In the context of the preventive and precautionary steps taken by the government to confront the emerging COVID-19, and based on our genuine concern for our students in the first place, and for all the area’s residents, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with the UNHCR and the Municipality of Adra Al-Balad, implemented a sterilization campaign within the Protection and Community Services programme at Farah Center in Adra, Rural Damascus.

The campaign included sterilizing the schools of Adra Al-Balad, Adra Al-Jadida, Tal Al-Sawan, and Al-Thanaya village.

Furthermore, SARC, the Noor Society for Relief and Development, and local committees from the area participated in the campaign.

Due to widespread spread of COVID-19 in neighboring countries, as well as the high number of infections, and in order to spread awareness among the residents, the Syrian Society for Social Development team, in cooperation with the UNHCR, implemented an initiative to distribute precautionary materials to face the threat of COVID-19 within the Community-Based Initiatives programme. The latter included protective face masks, soap, disinfectants, and awareness brochures at the Farah Community Center in Adra Al-Balad, Rural Damascus.

In the context of the preventive and precautionary steps taken by the government to confront the emerging COVID-19, and in view of the health risks posed by the aforementioned virus and its rapid spread, the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor at the Rural Development Center in Alton Al-Jurd, in cooperation with the Syrian Society for Social Development, conducted sterilization and preventive procedures in all departments of the center, including the administrative building, workshops… the aim of the latter was to ensure the maintenance of public health.

The team of the Syrian Society of Social Development prepared and distributed awareness messages to the local community in Al-Zahira, and provided a set of information on the importance of taking care of personal hygiene, washing hands regularly, using sterilizers and avoiding ready-made foods.

Target groups were children and caregivers, whereby they were asked to spread all what they had learned to their peers and entourage. Furthermore, we stressed on the importance of social distancing and avoiding gatherings.

One of the women said: "The SSSD team is always with us in all crises, and always trying to be a source of support and help! Indeed, our message is for us all to stand together against COVID-19!”.

Neglecting personal hygiene is considered one of the most important health problems that children suffer greatly from. Therefore, an awareness session was implemented on the 3rd of March, 2020, in cooperation with UNHCR, with the aim of raising awareness on the importance of caring for and maintaining public hygiene at the current time.

Twenty-two boys and girls attended the session that evolved around the importance of hygiene care, and the best ways to wash their hands and sterilize them, whereby a doctor from the local community volunteered to implement the latter. During the session, explanatory videos and slides_ which included the correct ways to wash hands, the importance of using sterilizers, avoiding uncovered foods, foods that strengthen the immunity, important tips for general hygiene, an educational video on how to care for hygiene, and the importance of visiting a doctor when needed_ were presented. Later on, these children had a practical session where they applied what they had learned from the videos and slides.

Furthermore, the children interacted greatly during the session, and directed several questions to the doctor, who in turn answered them all.

At the end of the session, the doctor was thanked for his considerable efforts, who in turn expressed his gratitude by saying: "Thank you for your constant protection and caring for children. I consider this to be the duty of every member of society, whereby no one should fail to provide his experiences or information in order to protect children from all kinds of danger!"

“Viruses pose a great threat to our lives… Today, nonetheless, we learned how to fight them in order to remain safe and healthy!”. This is what one of the children expressed in an awareness session conducted by the mobile team in the Deir Salman area, Rural Damascus, in cooperation with UNICEF.

The session aimed at raising awareness on the importance of personal hygiene and how to maintain it, keeping in mind the dangers of using other people’s belongings. The children also learned how to properly wash their hands and sanitize all touched objects through a set of tools and interactive games.

Furthermore, about 22 children from the local community participated in the session.

At the end of the activity, the team distributed hand sanitizers, and emphasized to the children the importance of transferring this information to the rest of their peers. They also stressed on the importance of social distancing during the current period.