"I was ashamed of how I seemed to read, but now and after I learned the skills and steps of diction, I had more confidence with myself."

This was expressed by one of the children during his participation in an educational session entitled "Speaking and Diction", as part of the summer club sessions which were carried out by the Syrian Society For Social Development in cooperation with UNHCR Syria at the Community at Al Ashrafieh Centerr in Aleppo.

The session aimed to familiarize children with speaking and diction skills, including explaining the types of speech, its characteristics, elements and rules, steps and stages of poetry diction and story, via presenting an illustration and making manual work, intellectual activity, some games and competitions.

With a view to raising society's awareness of the importance of peace in strengthening social ties among its members, because it is the basis for positive coexistence and comprehensive development, and because human rights are promoted in an atmosphere of peace and stability, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in partnership with UNHCR, celebrated the International Day of Peace with the slogan "Action for Peace: Our ambition to achieve the global goals "within the Community alshiear Center in Aleppo.

The celebration included the participation of the children of the Child Protection Club in a peace lyric Choral, a poem expressing the importance of peace and its role in peaceful coexistence among individuals, and an acting scene illustrating the impact of peace on the family and the individual, the distribution of white roses and the placement of the audience fingerprints on the peace tree.

The event, with the support of child protection structures and the Women's Committee, finalized with balloons being thrown from above by children waving goodbye to all, creating an atmosphere of happiness in the hearts of all present people.

Explosive remnants of war have a detrimental impact on societies even long after the end of the war, causing injuries or deaths at a distance from the explosion, and children constitute more than one third of the victims in many countries affected by explosive remnants of war.

Therefore, and in order to raise awareness among the population about explosive remnants of war, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with UNICEF in Aleppo, carried out a campaign on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Danger Awareness.

The campaign targeted municipal workers, farmers and children, in the villages of Dibsi Afnan and Deir Jameel in rural Aleppo, and included an explanation of the types of explosive remnants, their risks, how to protect them and the mechanism to report them.

The participants interacted during the campaign and expressed:

"I learned today if anything strange is founded in the earth, I should not come closer and tell my family immediately about it."

"Thank you because you have informed us about the correct reporting mechanism, especially that we are living in close areas at risk."

"The Arabic language is of great importance to most people. It sows inspiration and love for thinking in ourselves, breaks the barrier of time and space and makes us see things deeply from many sides. It is the sun of our lives and the oxygen that we breathe to live. It is the sport of reason, and I am not exaggerating when I say, that reading gives me happiness."

One of the participating children in the reading challenge held by the Syrian Society for Social Development in cooperation with the Agha Khan Foundation in the centers of Hananu and Aljoum in Aleppo on the occasion of the 23 April World Reading Day with the aim of encouraging children to read, summarize and conduct challenges among themselves for a series of stories and books.

 During

the ceremony there were Lyrical paragraphs, and reciting poetic writings and some poems.

In order to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder, the Syrian Society for Social Development's Home Rehabilitation Programme for Persons with Disabilities in cooperation with UNHCR carried out a series of awareness sessions concerning autism spectrum disorder in all community centers in Aleppo and its countryside

With joy and love, and with the participation of the people, the following paragraphs were presented: (Dating activity - Introduction to World Autism Day - Brainstorming to explain the autism spectrum disorder and its social, cognitive and behavioral characteristics and ways of dealing with it - Set of activities and recreational competitions for the people to alleviate the stress that they live in.)

These sessions contributed to raising awareness about the importance of the rights of children who are injured with autism spectrum disorder, including health care, education and opportunities for participation in the society, where parents expressed the following:

"I knew what is the meaning of autism and how to distinguish an autism child from a natural child and also I knew that there is a World Day for them"

"I have a kid who is suffering of an autism disorder. I knew that photoes help him to tell us what he needs, and help me to understand him."

"The first time I heard of something called autism, and the first time I recognized its symptoms and distinguish them from the rest of the disabilities, and I wasn't able to know that children who are injured with Autism can develop as opposed to what is known about them."

"I became more understandable of the situation of mothers of children with other disabilities, because their life tasks are difficult and need to be understood like her child."