With the progression of age, a person faces an increasing number of major life changes that affect his mental health, including job changes, retirement, and loss of loved ones. Proper handling of these changes is key to staying healthy.

 That’s why the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with UNHCR, decided to implement a session on the importance of both the psychological and social care for the elderly within the home rehabilitation program for the elderly at Shams Community Center, Aleppo.

The session targeted caregivers, and included a communication game and a video presentation on the role of the elderly in the lives of his children and how the children can pay back for what their parents provided for them all these years ago.

 Then, a scene about the mistakes of dealing with the elderly was presented, followed by a classification of positive and negative methods in dealing with the elderly, using emojis.

“We usually decide everything for the elderly, without even minding their opinion. I learned that we must ask to hear what they think and ask to see if they are comfortable or not.” One caregiver commented after the end of the session.

Children with intellectual disabilities are completely dependent on caregivers to perform their daily tasks, In order to enhance their self-reliance, the home rehabilitation team for people with disabilities at the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, implemented the “I Can Eat By Myself” activity in the Al Hader community space,

The activity included several directed segments, including: eating foods of different textures and flavors, making a sandwich, cutting and peeling some vegetables, making pickles in small jars and helping their mother arrange the dining table.

At the end of the session, the caregivers cooperated with their children by preparing and arranging a group dining table and sharing the food.

Caregivers and children expressed their happiness as some commented:

"I didn't expect my blind son to be able to make pickles by himself with a wide smile I rarely ever see."

“Mama, I will always make my sandwich and eat it by myself.”

In order to achieve the societal approach and ensure the participation of all parties within the local community in Al Shaar neighborhood, and to reach the most appropriate realistic solutions to the problems that the population suffers from, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, held a focused discussion session that included a number of representatives of government and community agencies. At Shams Community Center, Aleppo.

The session was attended by Mr. Jamal Najeh, a member of the Aleppo Provincial Council, Mr. Najib Al Atrash, director of the municipality sector in the region, and Mrs. Rawan, who is responsible for following up on the recovery plan issued by the Council of Ministers for the eastern neighborhoods, a number of mayors, neighborhood committees, and engineers from the Environment Department in Aleppo.

The session included an introduction to the association, its objectives, the distribution of its centers and the services it provides, after which it moved to the problems raised by the local community, the mayors and committees of the neighborhood, such as the problem of heavily cracked buildings that are threatened to collapse, abandoned buildings and their danger to children and girls, in addition to problems within schools, the health sector, the traffic sector and other problems that people of the neighborhood suffer from.

The session witnessed a great interaction between the attendees and the exchange of views to solve many issues and work on several applicable ideas, whether through the intervention of government agencies or through the file of community initiatives within the center.

The attendees expressed their gratitude for the activities, initiatives and events offered in the region, and stressed the need for everyone to join hands, from the local community, government agencies and humanitarian agencies, and that they are ready to provide the required support for everything that serves the interest and advancement of society.

Due to the importance of investing children’s time during the summer vacation and in order to encourage them to continue in the process of searching and pursuing knowledge and awareness, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, implemented a series of educational, recreational and cultural sessions during the summer club period under the title Ashkal Alwan (So Many Things, So Much Fun) in all of the community centers in Aleppo and its countryside.

During the club, children's skills were developed and their knowledge was was improved in the subjects of Arabic, English, mathematics, mental arithmetic, science, geography and culture around the world. The children created illustrations and models for the things they learned.

The club concluded with a motivational competition in which children competed to answer the questions posed as quickly as possible.

 The top children were honored and medals and educational gifts were gifted to them.

Since school is the source of dreams and the way to the future, and since children are those who will build that future, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Directorate of Education in Aleppo, implemented an open day entitled “Knowledge Makes Your Dreams Come True” in order to celebrate the start of the school year.

The campaign targeted children in 6 schools in the city of Aleppo and its countryside, and included a variety of activities aimed at promoting the importance of education and instilling love for the school in the hearts of children, by decorating schools with murals and motivating phrases, writing children's wishes and aspirations for the future on papers in the shape of their small hands, and performing a play called “I Want to Learn”, which helped educate children about the importance of school and the dangers of dropping out.

The activities concluded with dancing with a clown and a honey bear in the school’s yard.

Some of the feedback from the students was as follows:

"It was a very nice day. I was actually surprised to see you guys come. I have always loved it when I visit the association, and this time, you came to us, You made us happy, and you supplied us with the much needed energy to start the New School Year."

"The drawing I did today will forever remind me of my dream and will motivate me to go after it. This starts with graduating high school and entering the faculty of my dreams."

"I am very happy to see you here. I have a dream to become a teacher in the future so that I can teach all the children of this country."

"Today, I liked school more because you made us more aware of its importance."

"I wish my sisters attended the play, so that they know that they must return to school because education will strengthen them in the future."

Due to the importance of supporting and empowering women to help them find work and achieve economic stability, the Syrian Society for Social Development, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund / Syria, implemented a set of vocational trainings on sewing and seasonal agriculture.

Each training targeted 12 women between the ages of 18 and 60 years.

Sewing and tailoring training aims to teach women the basics of this profession in a professional manner.

The aim of the seasonal agriculture training is to introduce women to the most important crops that are not widely available in the local community, and to train them on different methods of farming in a scientific and thoughtful way in order to avoid any imbalance and improve the agricultural products.

The women expressed the benefit they got after the training, as some of them commented:

“It is nice that a woman has a special job for her own that strengthens her personality and enables her to live without having to ask her husband for money.”

"I am 16 years old and I love sewing and I would have liked to enroll in a course, but the financial conditions were very difficult, and, luckily, thanks to you, I am now learning it for free"

"We needed this training in order to get acquainted with the modern farming methods, and to know more about the new crops that we did not know before, such as thyme, broccoli, cabbage, red beet and soybeans."

Vocational training creates a golden opportunity for people who are trying to find a way to learn a profession so that can become a source of income for them. As a continuation of the series of vocational trainings provided by the Syrian Society for Social Development in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund / Syria in a safety space to support and empower women in Aleppo, a number of vocational tool boxes were distributed to the women who received the following trainings:

Manufacture of pastries and sweets, sewing, hairdressing and beauty, dairy and cheese manufacturing, food processing and preservation, wood burning, creams and perfumes preparing.

The trainees expressed their gratitude for being enabled and given the opportunity to contribute to supporting their families.

Some of the feedback we received was as follows:

"By having this kit, I will be able to help my husband with household expenses and start my small business. My husband has encouraged me after he had been opposed to the idea at first."

"I became financially dependent on myself, and I’m no longer a burden on someone’s shoulder. Finally, my dream has come true and I have my own project."

"Hopefully, my relationship with my husband will improve and our problems will start to solve, after I have become a productive woman and I will be able to help him with the house expenses