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"The Good Old Days"

A lot has changed between the previous and present Eid.

In order to stay in constant touch with our traditions, there is no better way than to turn to the memory of life represented by our grandparents, who lived to pass the traditions to the next generation, and entrust us on the revival of those lovely rituals and traditions.


Based on this concept, the Syrian Society for Social Development team in Homs held a series of activities and sessions within Old but Gold Program, entitled “With You, Eid is Complete” at the Hekayat Balad Community Center in Homs.

 
The activities targeted older women age groups in the area. Moreover, the session topics varied between tales and stories about the past and present Eid traditions and customs, to activities aimed at reviving those rites, such as preparing Ma’moul sweets, which is the most popular Eid custom all over the Syrian cities.

 
The sessions were concluded with a festive activity, in honor and appreciation for the elderly women that participated in the program. The activities and sessions were mainly prepared and implemented by the youth beneficiaries of the center's activities and services. The celebration included video presentations showing several ways of celebrating Eid in different countries around the world, a comedy play presented by the participating youth, as well as many games and entertaining competitions. The event came to an end with Eid songs and offering symbolic presents to the women as a sign of our love, gratitude and appreciation for them.

 
One of the women expressed her happiness by saying “You reminded us of the good old days when we used to gather in our family home, help each other out in making Eid sweets, stay up all night long with the sound of songs and the smell of the maamul that filled the whole street”.


Another woman added, “We really had a wonderful time, you brought us back our smiles that were stolen by the crisis”.

 

Our home is lightened

Mr. Akram, a 63-year-old retired employee, is a new return to Al Hosen with his family of four and his elderly mother with special needs in a house in the bush far from the city's serviced residential area.
Mr. Akram was identified after his visit to the community center in Al-Hosn and explained his conditions and taking all the information. Accordingly, the family was visited by a team of volunteers of the center to make an assessment need of the family conditions.
The evaluation found that the family suffers from extreme poverty and there is no provider except for Mr. Akram, who works in agricultural lands, and who suffers from chronic diseases. The house where the family lives is in a very bad condition and needs many services. The family uses candles for lighting, which is a burden on the family to buy. It also causes danger to the old mother as she moves around the house when the power is down due to her poor vision.
Mr. Akram asked for a battery and LEDs. And they were given to him from the file of in-kind assistance, and when visiting the family after providing the service and talking with them about the importance of the service, Mr. Akram said: " God bless you all and thank you for everything”.

UNHCR

"Small Steps" Campaign and Events

With “small steps” and eyes gleaming with hope, the children filled the ceremonial halls in the governorates of Damascus, Sweida, Aleppo, Hama, Tartous, Homs and Hasakeh, where the Syrian Society for Social Development (SSSD) is carrying out its activities. And with joyful voices, they sang the slogan of the Rights of the Child Campaign, which was carried out throughout November:
My rights are many,
but with one small step
I own myself…
and them in the process!
The campaign included a variety of activities targeting children, adolescents and caregivers. It aimed at raising awareness about the rights of the child and the importance of all children’s access to them, and was concluded with a number of events to celebrate World Children’s Day.
During the events, the children presented artistic performances that emphasized the rights of the child, provided for in the 1989 UN Convention, and highlighted the causes of children’s exposure to risks, such as child labor, school dropout and even delinquency. These causes include not only depriving the child of care in general and family care in particular, but also neglecting and marginalizing children during childhood and other growth stages, which negatively affects them, and then the community as a whole.
The children’s interaction with the events’ activities and artistic performances was truly remarkable. Making use of their various talents, they were able to convey the message to their peers, as well as to their parents, teachers and other groups that attended. The Small Steps Campaign and Events constituted a strong step towards achieving a safe and healthy childhood and a new space for children—provided by SSSD in cooperation with the UNHCR.

 

CBI - Handicraft Skills

During our course to develop communities, and restore community unity, driven by our belief in the importance of mutual community mobilization, SSSD team in A-Hosn CC, in cooperation with UNHCR SoH launched “Handicraft skills” CBI aiming to provide knitwear for children, school students, and older persons from both Host and displaced communities, to protect them from winter cold.
Several women from local community who are experienced in knitwear participate in this initiative aiming to produce hats and scarfs for children and students to protect them from rain and cold during school hours, in addition to produce clothes for older persons made of wool to help them get through cold winter.
The women helped provide several types of knitwear to be presented for students and older persons, using pre-made lists organized in cooperation with the dignitaries of the area, to come up to a comprehensive initiative that includes all beneficiaries in-need in local community.

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