Education is the cornerstone of community, of which the young are the active force. Helping students of the Nursing School improve their practical skills would, therefore, have a positive impact on their future practice with patients.
To that effect, the SSSD team, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented a community-based initiative in which the students collaborated with administration and maintenance workers in the rehabilitation and upgrade of the First Surgery and Tocology labs. The CBI consisted in the rehabilitation of the false ceiling and a wall destroyed by a bombshell; then the labs were cleaned up, fully repainted and upgraded with all the necessary equipment from the school storehouse.
The CBI was concluded on May 5, 2017, to benefit 666 students of both genders, in addition to the teaching staff.

Based on our belief in the prominent role of women in society, as well as in the importance of promoting women’s participation in finding solutions for community challenges, the SSSD team, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented a community-based initiative at the Maisaloon neighborhood, Qamishli City (al-Hasakeh Governorate). A group of women collaborated in making mosquito nets and distributed them on all neighborhood households. The CBI aimed to protect local community members, especially children, from the risk of Leishmaniosis, caused by mosquito stings.
The CBI was concluded on September 28, 2017, benefiting approximately 170 households (676 individuals) from the local community.

Water is life. This is too obvious. Polluted water, however, has a reverse effect. So in order to protect women and children from the risks of contaminated water and spare them the tiresome burden of bringing water from remote places, the SSSD team, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented a community-based initiative at the village of Bab al-Kheir in the southern countryside of al-Hasakeh Governorate.
A group of men and youngsters from the local community engaged in manufacturing galvanized iron water tanks and distributed them on the village’s neediest HHs. Henceforward, a tank truck ensures regular water trucking and clean drinking water is stored in household tanks instead of unsafe, insufficient plastic jerry cans.
The CBI was concluded on June 5, 2017, benefiting 94 people.

Elmam (“Proficiency”) is a community-based youth initiative launched by a group of Syrian youth and supported by SSSD and UNHCR. The initiative aimed to promote the concept of self-learning by creating a self-regulated learning environment in order to meet the conflict-afflicted adolescents’ educational needs, from both local and IDP communities.

The initiative aimed to raise awareness about the importance of the Internet in both learning and acquiring information. It also enabled the beneficiaries to train on basic communication skills, such as public speaking, searching for and summarizing correct information, teamwork competencies and English language skill development.

The initiative was concluded on 25/02/2018, with over 500 adolescents of both genders benefiting.

Based on our wish to support community-based solutions, the Syrian Society for Social Development (SSSD), in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), implemented a community-based initiative in the Hameh Girls’ Preparatory School under the title “My Most Beautiful School.”

The aim of the initiative was to protect adolescent girls, strengthen their self-confidence and provide them with a safe and appropriate learning environment. 

To that effect, various actions were done: protecting girls from the risk of broken glass by installing external wire netting on windows, painting the school walls with themes that inspire hope and encourage learning, repairing and repainting the school benches, protecting girls from diseases caused by moisture by insulating the roof. The CBI was concluded on 23/12/2017.

Believing in the spirit of cooperation and teamwork, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented a community-based initiative in Jaramana, Rural Damascus, under the title “Making wool sweaters for people with specific needs.”
The aim of the initiative was to protect CwSP from winter cold and diseases and offer them a sense of “warmth.” Thus, the mothers of the children and their friends who are skilled in wool-knitting made 60 sweaters. Women completed knitting the woolen sweaters and distributed them to the beneficiaries in a final activity held at Beit al-Weam Community Center on 02/12/2017.

In order to activate people’s potential and skills and support solutions emerging from the community, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented a community-based initiative at al-Hameh, Rural Damascus, under the title “Dressmaking for IDPs.”

The initiative aimed at promoting integration between the IDP and host communities by making clothes (jeans and cotton jumpsuits) for the adolescent sons and daughters of some IDP families currently living at al-Hameh district. The initiative was concluded on 30/07/2017.

As part of our goal to promote integration between host and IDP communities, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented the “Puppets” community-based initiative at al-Hameh, Rural Damascus.

The concept of the initiative was that women of al-Hameh host community should make more than 500 puppets and offer them to IDP children. This welcome gesture would allow the children to express their thoughts/feelings and “see” their problems indirectly by projecting them on the puppet and by selecting puppets that correspond to their respective characters. The initiative was concluded on 18/07/2017 with a ceremony during which the puppets were distributed.

As protection is the foundation of community-based initiatives, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented in Qudsaya, Rural Damascus, an initiative under the title Lighting.

The CBI aims to illuminate al-Jisr neighborhood at the Amal Square to provide night-time safety to the neighborhood residents by installing light projectors to protect residents from theft and spare women exposure to harassment.

 The installation of lighting for the neighborhood was concluded on 27/07/2017.

Because the children with special needs and the drop out children are among the basic groups targeted by SSSD through its various programs, the team of SSSD in Masyaf, in cooperation with the UNHCR, organized a CBI in Masyaf entitled "Children's bags for daily activities and uses"
The CBI, which was proposed through focus group discussion sessions with women at( home of the family CC), aims to motivate children with special needs and drop out children to participate in activities within the center, encouraging the PWSNs to integrate more with their surroundings and encouraging drop out children to get back to schools ,where more than 100 school bags were manufactured and distributed by women from the IDPs and local communities in Masyaf. The children participated in making bags through the selection of colors and accessories. The implementation of the CBI was completed on 20/5/2017.