With the aim to maintain everyone’s safety and protection, and in line with the precautionary and preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, the Syrian Society for Social Development team, in cooperation with the municipal council in Shabaa, implemented an initiative that targeted the area’s residents within the CLI programme at the Echo of Joy WGSS in Shabaa, Rural Damascus.

During the initiative, the team worked, under the direction of the municipality, to distribute purification tablets in the residents’ tanks in order to purify the water used daily for washing and cleaning.

Furthermore, they assisted in sterilization campaigns of the main and subsidiary streets, gathering areas and public facilities.
The residents expressed their gratitude, and explained the importance of this step in limiting the spread of the disease. They also stressed the importance of repeating such initiatives during the coming period.

In addition, one of the women expressed how she felt reassured that once the purification tablets were put, and said:” Now, I am relieved! I am reassured to have clean water which wouldn’t infect my children whenever they wash or use it.”

Within the framework of the precautionary measures to limit the spread COVID-19, and as part of the preventive measures taken by the Syrian Society for Social Development, the team carried out a sterilization and disinfection campaign for the Khaled Bin Al-Walid Institute for juvenile delinquents in Rural Damascus on a daily basis.

The latter was carried out in cooperation with the administration of the Khaled Bin Al-Walid Institute within the Child Protection programme.

The aim of the campaign was to protect the health and safety of adolescents in the institute, while emphasizing the need to adhere to safety guidelines in order to protect themselves and others from danger.

In the context of precautionary measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, and with the aim of spreading community awareness about this epidemic and the need to follow preventive measures, the Syrian Society for Social Development team, in cooperation with UNHCR, implemented a sterilization initiative in Ashrafiet Al-Wadi and Jdeidet Al-Wadi, Rural Damascus, within the CLI programme.

During the initiative, the team coordinated with the municipality and party team in the area, and sterilized the most crowded places such as the municipality, dispensaries, public ovens, and public facilities.

Additionally, they distributed awareness messages to the local community, including information on the importance of personal hygiene, the correct use of disinfectants, the importance of social distancing, and the need to avoid crowded places.

Residents expressed their gratitude for the sterilization initiative, and were enthusiastic about implementing the same initiative in schools in order to protect children and ensure their safety before returning to school.

In response to the national preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, the Syrian Society for Social Development (SSSD) distributed hygiene kits for 70 women, as part of the Gender-Based Violence Program in Ammar Center, Harasta, Rural Damascus.

The hygiene kits included: face masks, medical gloves, disinfectants for hands and surfaces, and disinfectant soaps, as well as, awareness raising booklets containing information involving safety and preventive measures and the correct ways of using disinfectants.

Following the national preventive measures aimed at liming the spread of COVID-19 and strengthening the national preparedness level, the Syrian Society for Social Development in cooperation with the United Nations high Commissioner for Refugees conducted a community- led initiative “Maintain Social Distancing” targeting public bakery ovens (Sett Zainab), at which low-income people stand in queues.

Not only did the team raise the awareness level of people about the importance of maintaining social distancing, but they also distributed face masks and gloves and sterilized the hands of the bakery workers and the customers.

Further, the team glued informative posters around the targeted public bakery ovens. The posters illustrated preventive measures, the correct way of washing hands, the correct way of wearing face masks and when to wear them? How does the disease spread?

In the context of precautionary measures to prevent the emergence of COVID-19, the team of the Syrian Society for Social Development in Harasta distributed educational messages and hygiene kits to children from the local community. The hygiene kit included soap, medical gloves, hand sanitizers and hand-made disinfectants by the volunteers.

Furthermore, we stressed on the importance of social distancing, periodic hand-washing, and disseminating this information to the rest of their peers. Also, the team of volunteers sterilized and cleaned the center.

One of the children said: “We will all face COVID-19 together! We should all stay at home in order to protect ourselves and the ones we love.”

Based on our role in protecting society, and in compliance with the safety instructions under the current conditions and the emergence of COVID-19, the teams of SSSD and UNHCR cooperated with the responsible authorities in Al-Hameh in order to distribute bread. The aim of the latter was to reduce gatherings, especially in public ovens, and was implemented within the Protection and Community Services programme at the Beit El Salam Center in Al-Hameh, Rural Damascus.

Coordination has been made with the concerned authorities to assist in the daily distribution to the residents, whereby all parts of the area were covered within specific hours.

Furthermore, the team distributed face masks and disinfectants to the staff within the baking oven and distribution points, in addition to helping in the preparation and packaging of bread bags, and distributing them to the accredited personnel across the whole area.

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.

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.