Dan for Relief and Development Foundation (DRD) conducted a dedicated training for non-specialist community leaders, aimed at strengthening the capacity of local communities to prevent and respond to the risks of gender-based violence (GBV), while protecting the most vulnerable groups

The training was implemented as part of the “Women’s Empowerment in Raqqa and Hasakah” project, in partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA).

The training targeted 30 male and female participants from the city of Amuda and nearby villages in the Sanjak Saadoun sub-district in the Amuda countryside. Each group participated in a two-day training.

The training covered key forms of gender-based violence and their impacts, as well as skills for early identification of risks, effective communication and active listening, maintaining confidentiality and sensitivity when dealing with affected individuals, and understanding safe referral pathways to specialized service providers.

The training was delivered by certified facilitators who had undergone capacity-building and Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes, alongside joint coordination and supervision with community-based personnel. This approach strengthens the role of local capacities in responding to community needs and protecting community members.

Such trainings contribute to reducing the burdens and risk factors faced by the most vulnerable families, strengthening early identification and prevention, raising community awareness, and empowering community leaders to drive positive change and provide better support to their communities.

Dan for Relief and Development Foundation (DRD) has begun distributing productive equipment to 50 women and girls in Raqqa City who successfully completed vocational training in tailoring and dressmaking, as well as pastry and confectionery production. The activity is part of the “Women’s Economic Empowerment in Raqqa and Al-Hasakah” project, implemented in partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)

The assistance included the distribution of 25 modern industrial sewing machines to participants trained in tailoring and dressmaking, in addition to 25 electric dough mixers and 25 gas-powered household ovens equipped with four burners for participants trained in pastry and confectionery production.

The equipment is intended to help beneficiaries transition from vocational training to launching their own productive activities, enabling them to apply the skills they have acquired and establish sustainable sources of income.

DRD previously concluded a three-month vocational training programme targeting 50 women and girls from the most vulnerable groups, including survivors of and women and girls at risk of gender-based violence (GBV).

During the training, participants acquired practical and vocational skills in tailoring and dressmaking, as well as pastry and confectionery preparation, using approaches aligned with local market needs. This contributes to enhancing their employment and income-generating opportunities and strengthening their ability to establish small businesses.

The programme went beyond technical training, with participants also receiving specialized sessions on business development skills to strengthen their capacity to launch, manage, and sustain small businesses. The sessions covered key topics including budgeting, business planning and management, and marketing.

The programme is part of DRD’s broader efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment and equip women with practical, market-relevant vocational skills, helping them access employment or establish small businesses while strengthening their financial independence and ability to improve their livelihoods within a safe and women- and girl-responsive environment.

DRD continues to implement vocational training and livelihoods programmes that respond to the needs of the most vulnerable groups, with a focus on linking acquired skills to employment opportunities and market demands, contributing to economic recovery and more sustainable livelihoods.

Dan for Relief and Development (DRD) implemented a community health initiative entitled “Pulse of Life” in Jazrat Al-Milaj, rural Deir ez-Zor, from 10 to 15 August 2026. The initiative included the distribution of 30 blood glucose meters and their supplies to the most vulnerable cases, alongside free blood glucose testing, health awareness activities, and training on the proper use of the devices

The initiative was launched in response to the challenges faced by the poorest households in accessing essential healthcare services, particularly regular blood glucose testing for people living with diabetes. These challenges are compounded by the high cost of medical tests and the distance some families have to travel to reach laboratories, creating additional financial and health burdens, particularly for older people and patients.

As part of the initiative, 50 free blood glucose tests were conducted to support the early identification of cases requiring follow-up and to determine which beneficiaries were most in need of home glucose monitoring devices.

In response to the health needs of the targeted households, 30 blood glucose meters, along with all necessary supplies, were distributed. In addition, 100 testing strips were provided. Practical training sessions were also conducted for beneficiaries on how to operate the devices, read and record results, maintain the equipment safely, and use it correctly.

The initiative also included health awareness sessions addressing the symptoms of diabetes, prevention methods, the importance of healthy nutrition and physical activity, and the regular monitoring of blood glucose levels. These activities contributed to strengthening beneficiaries’ ability to manage the condition and reduce the risks of related complications.

The initiative was implemented with the participation of volunteers and health personnel, as well as members of the Health Committee and Peace Committee, who contributed to planning, coordination, field supervision, and the organization of sessions and activities. Their involvement further strengthened the role of community committees in responding to local needs.

The initiative helped reduce part of the direct financial burden on targeted households and strengthened their ability to monitor their health conditions, while also increasing awareness of the importance of prevention and early detection of chronic diseases.

The “Pulse of Life” initiative is part of broader efforts to support the most vulnerable groups, improve access to essential healthcare services, and promote a culture of prevention, community cooperation, and locally led responses to health needs in the region.

Dan for Relief and Development Foundation continues to implement the “Be There” program sessions in the Foundation’s safe space at Washokani Camp, west of Al-Hasakah. As of mid-August, the sessions have reached 205 participants, including 43 men and 162 women

The program focuses on helping caregivers cope with daily stress, particularly amid challenging circumstances that may affect their ability to provide effective care and parenting to children.
The program aims to achieve several key objectives, including:
Reducing daily stress through relaxation and stress-management techniques, such as mindfulness and breathing exercises.
Strengthening social support networks and supportive relationships.
Improving the ability to cope with difficult emotions, including frustration and anger.
Reducing parenting-related stress and promoting the use of positive parenting approaches.
Reducing the use of harsh parenting practices and fostering a safer and more supportive family environment for children.

The program aims to support parents and caregivers of children by helping them reduce stress, improve their psychosocial well-being, and strengthen their positive parenting skills.
Through the “Be There” program, we work to promote family well-being and support caregivers in building more positive and safe relationships with their children.

Dan for Relief and Development (DRD), in partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), has completed the distribution of barley to livestock farmers in villages affiliated with the Sanjak Saadoun Council, near the city of Amuda in northern rural Al-Hasakah, as part of the activities of the “Women’s Empowerment in Raqqa and Al-Hasakah” project

Based on defined eligibility criteria, the activity reached 75 women from 11 villages who own or manage small livestock herds. Each beneficiary received one ton of barley and 10 kilograms of feed supplements.

This support aims to improve livestock health and productivity, reduce animal husbandry costs, and strengthen livelihoods based on livestock rearing, contributing to increased household income and improved capacity to cope with economic pressures.

To further enhance the impact of this intervention, DRD also conducted a four-day specialized training for women livestock farmers. The training covered livestock nutrition management, methods for improving productivity, and approaches to reducing animal husbandry costs, strengthening participants’ knowledge and skills while supporting the sustainability of their income sources.

The “Women’s Empowerment in Raqqa and Al-Hasakah” project is implemented through an integrated approach combining food security, sustainable livelihoods, and protection, with the aim of strengthening the resilience of the most vulnerable women and girls, with a particular focus on survivors of violence, female-headed households, and displaced women.

In addition to supporting small-scale livestock farmers, the project includes economic empowerment pathways through vocational training and entrepreneurship support for 50 women in Raqqa, as well as conditional cash grants to establish income-generating businesses based on approved business plans. The project also supports the formation of women’s groups and provides training on disaster risk reduction and early warning systems to protect agricultural assets from climate-related shocks.

The project also includes protection activities, including community awareness, psychosocial support for women, and emergency cash assistance for critical cases, based on protection assessments that uphold privacy and confidentiality.

Through these interventions, Dan for Relief and Development seeks to strengthen food security and the stability of productive household assets among female-headed households, support sustainable economic empowerment pathways, and enhance women’s ability to gradually transition from reliance on humanitarian assistance toward productive livelihoods and improved income sources. The project also engages beneficiaries and local stakeholders in planning and follow-up, contributing to the sustainability of its outcomes.

Dan for Relief and Development Foundation, in partnership with World Vision International (WVI), has completed its support for collective enterprises in Al-Karama area, rural Raqqa, by delivering equipment and productive assets to two groups comprising 33 beneficiaries, with the aim of enabling them to launch their enterprises and move into the operational and production phase

The handover, carried out on 3 August, included a diverse range of large-scale agricultural and construction equipment, reflecting the scale of support provided to the enterprises and their potential to generate collective and sustainable sources of income.

Agricultural and Construction Equipment to Launch Two Collective Enterprises

The first group, comprising 14 beneficiaries, received an integrated package to launch a collective agricultural enterprise. The package included an agricultural tractor and its attachments, including a plough and disc harrow, as well as repair and maintenance tools, a hydraulic jack, and a grease gun. Safety equipment was also provided, including a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

These assets will enable the group to provide agricultural services in the area and operate them collectively, creating income-generation opportunities while strengthening the sustainability of the enterprise.

The second group, comprising 19 beneficiaries, received productive assets and equipment to establish a collective enterprise in the construction sector. The support included a dump truck for transporting construction materials, block-making machines, multiple molds for producing blocks in different sizes, and a generator, in addition to quantities of cement, white gravel (Gharabia), and black Euphrates sand, as well as safety equipment.

These assets will enable the group to begin production and provide construction-related services, creating new opportunities for its members to generate income and work collectively.

During the next phase, both groups will focus on operating the assets, organizing work and management mechanisms, and developing relationships with local markets. This will help ensure the optimal use of the equipment and support the long-term sustainability of the enterprises.

This intervention reflects the project’s approach of moving beyond direct assistance toward empowering communities to own productive assets and manage income-generating enterprises, while simultaneously strengthening beneficiaries’ technical, managerial, and financial capacities.

Continued Support for Livestock Enterprises

This support builds on the project’s interventions in the livestock sector, where Dan for Relief and Development Foundation supported nine productive sheep- and cattle-rearing enterprises, benefiting nine groups out of the 12 groups targeted.

The support package included 283 sheep, 10 lambs, and 5 rams, as well as 9 cows with their calves. It also included operational supplies and feed, consisting of 5 tons of hay, 6 tons of white barley, 8 tons of black barley, 2 tons of yellow corn, 7 tons of white bran, and 3 tons of compound feed.

A total of 200 heads of household benefited from these enterprises, with each group comprising between 15 and 20 members.

From Assistance to Economic Empowerment

Through these interventions, Dan for Relief and Development Foundation, in partnership with World Vision International, reaffirm their commitment to supporting economic recovery in Al-Karama and strengthening the capacity of local communities to develop more sustainable sources of income.

The interventions go beyond addressing immediate needs by enabling communities to access productive assets, strengthen self-reliance, and contribute to the local economy

As part of the “Women’s Empowerment in Al-Hasakah and Raqqa” project, Dan for Relief and Development (DRD) completed a specialised training for women livestock keepers in the Sanjak Saadoun sub-district council, in the rural area of Amuda, Al-Hasakah Governorate, in partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA)

In rural Amuda, the training targeted 89 women livestock keepers from 11 villages within the Sanjak Saadoun sub-district. The four-day training aimed to strengthen participants’ knowledge and skills in livestock feed management, contributing to improved productivity, reduced livestock-raising costs, and enhanced livelihoods and household economic security.
The training covered a range of practical topics, including feed management and understanding different types of fodder, preparing balanced rations, and properly preserving and storing feed. It also highlighted the links between proper nutrition, animal health and productivity, and the economic viability of livestock farming.

This training is part of the project’s interventions to support women engaged in livestock production. Eligible beneficiaries will also receive barley feed rations and feed supplements, helping households preserve their productive assets and improve their returns.
The “Women’s Empowerment in Al-Hasakah and Raqqa” project follows a Nexus approach, integrating food security, sustainable livelihoods, and protection from gender-based violence to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable women and girls in rural Amuda, Al-Hasakah, and Raqqa City. The project focuses particularly on survivors of violence, women-headed households, and displaced women.

Areas of Work and Economic Empowerment
Food Security and Livelihoods:
The project supports women livestock keepers through the distribution of feed rations to eligible women in rural Amuda, alongside practical training on integrated feed management to improve productivity and reduce economic costs.

Other Economic Empowerment Pathways:
The project provides vocational and entrepreneurship training for 50 women in Raqqa, along with conditional cash grants to start income-generating businesses based on approved business plans. It also supports the formation of women’s groups and provides training on disaster risk reduction and early warning systems to protect agricultural assets from climate-related shocks.
Protection:
The project includes community awareness activities, a structured psychosocial support programme for women, and emergency cash assistance for critical cases, based on protection assessments that uphold privacy and confidentiality.

Through these interventions, Dan for Relief and Development aims to strengthen food security and the stability of productive household assets, particularly for women-headed households, support sustainable economic empowerment pathways, and help address protection gaps while promoting a safer and more inclusive community environment.

The project also places a strong emphasis on sustainability by strengthening community ownership and involving women beneficiaries in planning and decision-making. This supports a gradual transition from reliance on assistance towards self-reliance and production, while working with local authorities to ensure continued technical oversight of women’s groups and start-up businesses after the project ends.

As part of monitoring the implementation of the NAF Project activities, implemented by DAN Foundation for Relief and Development in partnership with World Vision International (WVI) in Al-Karama, eastern rural Raqqa, WVI Program Director Lauren Marriott conducted a field visit to assess progress achieved during the project’s second year of implementation

The second year focuses on the recovery phase, following the completion of the first year, which focused on humanitarian response and relief, and paving the way for the transition to the empowerment phase in the project’s third year.

The visit began with a follow-up on Saving for Transformation (S4T) sessions. Lauren observed the mechanisms through which savings groups operate, members’ adherence to the methodology, and the progress of savings and internal lending activities. She also held direct discussions with beneficiaries about key achievements, positive changes in their economic and social conditions, as well as challenges affecting the sustainability of the groups. Discussions also explored ways to strengthen their effectiveness and further develop the groups to ensure that their impact continues beyond the project’s completion.

The visit also included peacebuilding activities, where she met with members of the Girls’ Peace Club and observed sessions focused on identifying and designing youth-led community initiatives. The discussions highlighted the role of these initiatives in strengthening social cohesion, promoting a culture of dialogue, and encouraging meaningful youth participation in community life, recognizing young people as key partners in supporting peace and building more cohesive communities.

As part of the project’s livelihoods component, the Program Director visited productive businesses supported through the project, including sheep-rearing and cheese and dairy production initiatives, as well as vocational training and technical guidance activities provided to beneficiaries.

She also met with project owners to discuss implementation progress, opportunities to improve technical and managerial performance, ways to increase productivity and profitability, and measures to strengthen the businesses’ resilience to economic challenges. The discussions also explored future options to ensure the sustainability of these businesses and expand their developmental impact.

Data-Driven Response

The “Dan for Relief and Development” Foundation has successfully completed the preparation of the “Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) Report” for 2026 in the rural countryside of Ras al-Ain / Sere Kaniye district, Al-Hasakah Governorate. This comprehensive assessment serves as a strategic tool providing a credible and reliable knowledge baseline to assist UN agencies, international organizations, and humanitarian funds active in Syria in designing and planning sectoral and sustainable response programs that address current urgent needs, while supporting preparedness building to receive the expected return of displaced persons to their villages and original areas in the coming period.

The assessment was implemented in full coordination and collaboration with the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor in Al-Hasakah, the Directorate of Ras al-Ain / Sere Kaniye District, and in close partnership with local stakeholders and community leaders to ensure the comprehensiveness of field data. The field data collection process was carried out during the period from July 5 to 13, 2026.

Methodology and Knowledge Impact

The assessment adopted a mixed-methods approach to ensure indicator accuracy; it included a field survey of 365 households (comprising 2,099 individuals) spread across 5 rural villages, cross-referenced with 19 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to cover 13 humanitarian and vital sectors.

Critical Sectoral Gaps (Key Assessment Findings):

Livelihoods and Economic Emergency: The community is experiencing a structural economic emergency; 88.5% of households suffer from a continuous monthly financial deficit (expenditures exceeding income), while 83.3% of households were severely affected by currency depreciation, making poverty and inflation the primary driver of 94.2% of community tensions and local stability challenges.

Protection and Humanitarian Security Gaps: The assessment identified a critical protection gap, as 89.6% of the population had not received any Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), alongside alarming indicators regarding child labor (54%) and early and forced marriage of girls (52.1%).

Water Quality and Environmental Gap (WASH): Although network coverage reaches 92.9%, the real gap lies in water safety; 96.7% of households do not apply any form of drinking water treatment, with 41.6% reporting a noticeable decrease in available water quantity.

Health and Education Gaps: 53.4% of households faced real barriers in accessing basic medical care due to the high cost of treatment and medicine, which parallels an educational crisis; 41.1% of households suffer from partial or complete child dropout from education due to direct financial burdens.

The assessment adopted a mixed-methods approach to ensure indicator accuracy; it included a field survey of 365 households (comprising 2,099 individuals) spread across 5 rural villages, cross-referenced with 19 Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) to cover 13 humanitarian and vital sectors.

The report provides a clear roadmap for international funding and implementing agencies to intervene through integrated programs that balance emergency response and early recovery support:

· Livelihoods and Food Security: Expand multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA) programs and urgent food aid to cover the monthly household deficit and alleviate immediate economic pressures.

· Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Promotion: Focus on ensuring water quality at points of use, rehabilitating existing networks, and supporting the operation of pumping stations through sustainable energy sources (such as solar energy, which is currently available at 94.7% in targeted locations).

· Protection and Mine Action: Launch urgent Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) campaigns targeting agricultural fields and pastures to ensure the safety of returnees and local residents, while strengthening traditional local mediation mechanisms trusted by over 89% of the community.

· Health and Education: Re-supply primary healthcare centers with essential and chronic medicines, support education costs (safe transportation, stationery) to reduce school dropout rates among adolescent girls, and incentivize cash-for-work programs to support damaged infrastructure.

The “Dan for Relief and Development” Foundation extends its thanks and appreciation to government entities for overcoming obstacles and facilitating humanitarian access to ensure the success of this assessment. We affirm our full readiness for joint cooperation and coordination with international partners and UN agencies to invest these field data in formulating effective response plans that support the resilience of vulnerable communities and prepare the ground for a sustainable and safe return

With funding from the Dutch Relief Alliance (DRA) through the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), and under the Syria Joint Response (SJR) Consortium, DAN Foundation for Relief and Development, in partnership with Dorcas Syria, completed the distribution of food baskets to families affected by the Euphrates River floods in Al-Bukamal, southeastern rural Deir Ezzor

As part of the emergency flood response supporting affected communities in Deir Ezzor Governorate, the intervention reached several affected villages and areas, with 1,200 food baskets distributed to 1,200 families, as follows
• Al-Ramadi: 206 food baskets
• Al-Jalaa: 204 food baskets
• Eastern Al-Sayyal: 190 food baskets
• Western Al-Sayyal: 195 food baskets
• Al-Qataa: 202 food baskets
• Al-Salihiyah: 203 food baskets
This response is part of DAN Foundation’s efforts to provide urgent food assistance to families affected by natural disasters and help alleviate the humanitarian and economic impact of the floods

The intervention was implemented in coordination with relevant local, humanitarian, and community stakeholders. Meetings were held with the Directorate of International Cooperation and the Directorate of Social Affairs and Labor in Deir Ezzor, and the necessary approvals and procedures were completed before implementation.
Coordination also took place with the administration of Al-Bukamal district, municipalities, community committees, local mukhtars, and community leaders in the targeted areas. Coordination meetings were held before the distribution to support an organized response and ensure assistance reached eligible affected families.