The Syrian Society for Social Development (SSSD) conducted a joint activity between the teachers and the adolescent students to instill the spirit of participation and joy and to strengthen the bond between the teachers and students. This activity was carried out to tackle school violence prevalence in the local community observed by SSSD team, aiming at moving away from traditional molds of teacher-student relationship.
20 teachers and 12 students were part of the activity.
The activity greatly affected the adolescents; they now see their teachers in new eyes. They got along very well during games.
One child commented, “I have never thought I would witness such a day, at which I could play with my teacher, who had been angry all the time.”
Another child said, “I was surprised to see my teacher, who had been my third grade teacher. Thank you very much for this lovely opportunity.”
As part of the activity, the adolescents were introduced to the sufferings the teachers face while managing big classrooms, up to 60 students per class, and the absence of support jeopardizing the quality of teaching and exerting a lot of pressure on teachers. During the games, the team focused on the idea that it is crucial for students to trust and follow the instructions of the teacher and how it impacts their future.
One teacher said, “When I know how to make the student feel loved and secure, he will like his school. A child is like a seedling and a teacher is like the source of light and nutrients.”

Out of the belief of children’s right to free-of-violence- education, the child protection team of the Syrian Society for Social Development conducted an awareness session for 22 teachers at Farah Community Center, Adra Industrial City, as part of a campaign titled “My School, My 2nd Home”. The session was conducted on 26 March 2019 to prevent the proliferation of school violence, based on collected data from the center’s case manager and the children enrolled in the child protection club.

The session raised awareness about the adverse effects of school violence, especially on the wellbeing of children. Teachers’ reactions toward the facilitation tools (a group game, brainstorming, discussion and dialogue, and display of photos) were positive, the tools helped them recall negative experiences with their teachers. “the negative experiences I faced should prohibit me from repeating the same negative acts with my students,” one teacher attending the session commented.
The teachers talked about some alternative solutions to replace school violence (verbal and physical), namely, constructing effective communication with children based on their age group and directing children’s energy toward beneficial actions and useful deeds. They affirmed the importance of conducting regular meetings to discuss in depth the adverse effects of violence and learn about the means of effective communication. They also expressed their willingness to meet up with students’ parents in the upcoming months during the sessions of the campaign.
It is worth noting that at an early stage of the planning of the campaign, many teachers had opposed the idea of the campaign, considering it pointing fingers toward them, accusing them of being violent with the students. However, the team managed to persuade them, after conducting several visits to the schools throughout the local community. The team explained the real spirit of the campaign and the dire need for it, and stressed the critical role of the teachers in limiting this negative phenomenon and coming up with alternatives, given the fact that they are the major players who contribute to the children’s future.

Following the observation of the case manager in Al-Hameh area in Qudsaya District of Rif Dimashq, and conducting needs assessment to the children enrolled in the child protection club, SSSD team found out that the level of awareness of the local community toward the side effects of negligence is low and only little attention is paid to the mental scars it causes and the ramifications on children’s emotional health and behavior. Therefore, SSSD team invited the caregivers to attend an awareness session at Salam Community Center, Al-Hameh on 17 March 2019.

The session tackled the stages of child development in terms of characteristics and needs, and the dangers children might go through in case they were neglected, such as, mental scars and their different types, beggary, school dropout, smoking, and acts of misdemeanor. Additionally, the attendees, 25 women were given the chance to talk about the problems they face with their kids and they were guided to meet up with the psychologist to benefit from the comprehensive services of the psychosocial support program and this what indeed several women did upon concluding the session.

Children are the nucleus of society, the seed that we must care for and nurture with attention and love so that it grows and gives the best fruit.

In view of the caregivers’ poor awareness of the dangers of neglect, the team of the Syrian Society for Social Development (SSSD), in cooperation with the UNHCR, carried out a campaign entitled La tehmelni, la tensani (“Don’t neglect me, don’t forget me…”).

The campaign aimed at raising the awareness of caregivers about the need to care for their children, the importance of this in building the child’s character, the negative effects of neglect on children, family and community, and, finally, the necessity to create opportunities and establish safe and free spaces for interactive, understanding communication between children and parents.

The campaign was carried out throughout December 2018 at the Farah Community Center in ‘Adra, Rural Damascus, and included several sessions for children, adolescents and caregivers.

The sessions tackled the problem of child neglect, its causes and consequences, and explored possible suitable solutions to mitigate it. Tools and activities varied in each session according to the age group and included: shadow theater, motor games, role playing, drama sketches and dialogue.

A special session was also held between adolescents and their parents to create an opportunity for both parties to share views, spend a fun and useful time, and consolidate a positive relationship.

After the huge efforts and the hard-working of the adolescents during the exams period, and the beginning of the holidays, SSSD team in cooperation with the UNHCR in the House of Family community center / Hama - Masyaf implemented a series of recreational activities within the Friend program in order to organize the children’s’ time and use the time they have to acquire new knowledge and establish friendly relations between the children from different villages and regions.
These activities include visits to the horse farm, getting to know the Arabian horse breeds, visit to the mechanical bakery in Masyaf area, identification of the mechanism and stages of making bread, in addition to a number of entertainment activities like competitions. We closed with the activity that included a number of young people from several villages in the charity hall in Al Bayda.