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.

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. 

Neglecting personal hygiene is considered one of the most important health problems that children suffer greatly from. Therefore, an awareness session was implemented on the 3rd of March, 2020, in cooperation with UNHCR, with the aim of raising awareness on the importance of caring for and maintaining public hygiene at the current time.

Twenty-two boys and girls attended the session that evolved around the importance of hygiene care, and the best ways to wash their hands and sterilize them, whereby a doctor from the local community volunteered to implement the latter. During the session, explanatory videos and slides_ which included the correct ways to wash hands, the importance of using sterilizers, avoiding uncovered foods, foods that strengthen the immunity, important tips for general hygiene, an educational video on how to care for hygiene, and the importance of visiting a doctor when needed_ were presented. Later on, these children had a practical session where they applied what they had learned from the videos and slides.

Furthermore, the children interacted greatly during the session, and directed several questions to the doctor, who in turn answered them all.

At the end of the session, the doctor was thanked for his considerable efforts, who in turn expressed his gratitude by saying: "Thank you for your constant protection and caring for children. I consider this to be the duty of every member of society, whereby no one should fail to provide his experiences or information in order to protect children from all kinds of danger!"

The Syrian Society for Social Development worked on selecting a group of interacting women during the Hear-My-Heart programme sessions. The number of women selected was 15 from the local community, who expressed their desire for volunteer humanitarian work. During these sessions, which lasted three months, the women were introduced to the humanitarian work and its principles, the skills facilitators should have, as well as communication skills_ which was divided to theoretical and practical sections.

Consequently, this group was able and qualified to carry out sessions for other women in Rural Damascus, Beit Al Salam Center/ Al Hameh, in cooperation with UNHCR.

The women’s interaction was great, whereby some expressed:
“For the first time in my life, I feel important, and that I am able to help others…”
“It was a wonderful experience that boosted my self-confidence!”
“Even my family noticed the positive change that occurred to me!”

Furthermore, one of the positive effects was the desire of women from the local community to undergo the same session, whereby they came to the center and underwent training.

"Through reading, I got to know many important historical figures - I read fascinating information about the planets and space. The library is extraordinary… I just love the books there!”. With these words, the children of the Bait Al Salam Center in Al Hameh expressed their happiness about the trip we organized to the Dummar Cultural Complex. The trip was carried out in cooperation with UNHCR, whereby 40 boys and girls were taken to a library within the Dummar Cultural Complex, in furtherance of the goals of the “Technology is Made for Us, Not Instead of Us” campaign. The aim of the latter was to help children discover new things, away from smart devices, and focus more on developing their talents and imrpve their social skills through various activities.

Furthermore, the children wandered during the visit throughout the library, and were helped in choosing the books they liked, whereby they had a delightful time while reading. Also, there were many challenging and intelligent games that children participated in solving.

At the end of the trip, a group of children prepared a play based on a novel they all read, and presented it in front of their friends using puppets. Thus, an atmosphere filled with joy and pleasure prevailed.