As part of its efforts to promote recovery and community reintegration, the DAN Foundation for Relief and Development continues to implement activities under the RISE project (Reintegration and Support for Empowered Returnees) in the Al-Sabha area and its countryside in the eastern Deir ez-Zor countryside, using an integrated approach that combines psychosocial support with economic and vocational empowerment.

The project aims to support women returning from Al-Hol camp by providing a safe environment that helps them regain self-confidence, enhance their capabilities, and prepare them to engage more stably within their local communities. The project is built on the vision that psychological recovery forms an essential foundation for transitioning toward sustainable livelihood opportunities and achieving self-reliance.

As part of this pathway, the foundation implemented a vocational training program in hairdressing and skincare within the Women’s and Girls’ Safe Space (WGSS), targeting 20 women returnees from Al-Hol camp. The participants were selected after having taken part in organized psychoeducation sessions and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programs, ensuring integration between recovery needs and economic empowerment requirements.

The training lasted for a full month, from mid-June to mid-July, and focused on providing participants with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary to practice the profession competently. The program covered a range of training modules, including:

· Hair care skills, including cutting, coloring, highlights, color stripping, and styling techniques.
· Fundamentals of professional makeup and skincare applications.
· Salon management skills, customer service, and delivering services according to professional and business standards.

At the end of the training, each beneficiary received a comprehensive professional hairdressing kit, aimed at supporting their transition from training to practical application, and enabling them to start small projects that help improve their livelihoods and strengthen their economic independence.

This step is part of the DAN Foundation for Relief and Development’s vision of supporting women and girls through programs that combine protection, psychosocial support, and skills development, contributing to reducing vulnerability and strengthening the ability of individuals and families to build a more stable future.

The foundation emphasizes that investing in women’s empowerment is an investment in social cohesion and the community’s capacity for recovery, and that providing safe and sustainable opportunities for women is a cornerstone of reintegration and local development efforts.

Amid the service-related challenges facing rural areas, community initiatives emerge as a window of hope that restores vitality to daily life and opens the way toward more sustainable development

DAN Foundation for Relief and Development took the initiative to install 40 solar-powered streetlights along the main road of Jazrat Al-Shati village in the Al-Jazrat area of the Deir ez-Zor countryside

The activity was implemented by the Noor Initiative group in response to residents’ suffering from the absence of lighting despite the availability of poles along the road. This step aims to enhance security and safety, stimulate economic activity during nighttime hours, facilitate residents’ movement, and improve the quality of daily life. The initiative also embodies the spirit of community cohesion through cooperation between residents and supporting entities, and represents a model of sustainable development solutions based on clean energy

The DAN Foundation office in the Al-Jazrat area of the Deir ez-Zor countryside operates through three main departments that seek to support the local community across various aspects:

Community Health Department: Works on implementing health awareness sessions aimed at raising awareness and changing harmful behaviors related to public health

Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL) Department: Provides vocational training in agriculture and modern irrigation methods, women’s tailoring, and veterinary services. It also offers grants for small projects, supports owners of livestock and agricultural land, implements Cash for Work activities, and provides free veterinary examination services through specialized veterinarians to support livestock in the area

Community Protection Department: Implements awareness sessions related to protection from Gender-Based Violence (GBV), in addition to legal protection sessions

Through these initiatives, DAN Foundation for Relief and Development affirms its continued commitment to supporting local communities and enhancing environmental and health awareness, contributing to building a safer, healthier, and more sustainable environment. This reflects the importance of joint efforts between the foundation and the community to achieve genuine and sustainable development

Amid the challenges of displacement and humanitarian crises, carefully directed initiatives continue to play a vital role in easing the suffering of affected families

In this context, the DAN Foundation for Relief and Development, in cooperation with the Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) and with funding from the Kingdom of Norway, has distributed multi‑purpose cash assistance (MPCA) to displaced people residing in collective shelters in the city of Qamishli. The operation targeted 11 shelters, covering 300 families, each of whom received a one‑time payment of 150 USD at the beginning of March

Additionally, at the end of February, the Foundation completed the fourth round of distributing 130 ready‑to‑eat (RTE) food baskets to 130 displaced families living in seven collective shelters in the city of Hasakah

Through these rapid interventions, DAN reaffirms its commitment to providing essential support to community members during times of crisis, demonstrating its ability to respond swiftly and effectively to urgent needs—thus solidifying its role as a leading actor in humanitarian response across affected areas

Vocational training is one of the most important tools for empowering youth and creating new opportunities that help them build a more stable and independent future. In communities facing economic and social challenges, vocational programs stand out as genuine opportunities to turn ambition into practical skills that can generate employment and strengthen community participation

In this context, Dan Relief and Development Foundation has launched the third cycle of its Vocational Training Program, starting with a photography course for 14 young women at the Foundation’s Vocational Training Center in Raqqa.

This course offers ambitious young women a unique professional skill that opens new horizons in the world of creativity and work. Over six months, participants will receive comprehensive theoretical and practical training in the fundamentals of photography, including camera techniques, lighting principles, visual composition, and photo editing skills.

The program aims to equip participants with the professional abilities needed to turn their passion for photography into real job opportunities—whether by establishing their own photography studios, working as freelance photographers for events and occasions, or engaging in commercial and artistic photography fields.

Through its vocational training programs, Dan Relief and Development Foundation reaffirms its commitment to supporting and empowering youth by providing them with practical skills that help them build sustainable careers and contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities.

Increasing community awareness about health and public hygiene, along with supporting local initiatives in this field, contributes to enhancing positive behaviors that protect public health and promote a cleaner, more sustainable environment

In this context, Dan Relief Foundation, in coordination with the local community, carried out the “Clean Environment” initiative, which included distributing garbage bins and plastic bags to shop owners in Jazrat Milaj in rural Deir ez‑Zor. This was done in cooperation with the Community Health Committee and the Peace Committee, as part of an integrated project implemented by the Foundation in the Al‑Jazrat area.

This step aimed to encourage shop owners to adhere to proper waste‑management practices and contribute to keeping streets and public spaces clean

The activity also included creating awareness murals along the main street, featuring visual messages highlighting the importance of cleanliness and its role in protecting the health of the community and the environment.

Similarly, the Community Health Committee, in cooperation with the Foundation’s health team, organized awareness sessions targeting shop owners. These sessions focused on the importance of disposing of waste in designated areas and promoting positive behaviors that help reduce pollution and improve the environmental conditions in the region.

Dan Relief Foundation’s office in the Al‑Jazrat area of rural Deir ez‑Zor operates through three main departments working to support the local community across various sectors:

Community Health Department:
Implements health education sessions aimed at raising awareness and correcting harmful behaviors related to public health.

Livelihoods (FSL) Department:
Offers vocational training in agriculture and modern irrigation techniques, women’s tailoring, and veterinary services. It also provides grants for small businesses, supports livestock owners and farmers, carries out Cash‑for‑Work activities, and delivers free veterinary examination services through veterinarians supporting local livestock.

Community Protection Department:
Conducts awareness sessions related to protection from gender‑based violence (GBV) and provides legal protection sessions.

Through these initiatives, Dan Relief and Development Foundation reaffirms its commitment to supporting local communities and promoting environmental and health awareness—contributing to building a safer, healthier, and more sustainable environment. This also reflects the importance of joint efforts between the Foundation and the community to achieve genuine and sustainable development.

As part of its rapid response to the urgent needs of displaced people in Al‑Hasakah city, DAN Foundation for Relief and Development concluded, at the end of last February, the fourth round of distributing 130 Ready‑to‑Eat (RTE) food baskets to 130 displaced families residing in seven collective shelters across the city.

The distribution, which continued for a full month at a rate of one round per week, was carried out in cooperation with Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), Funded by the Government of Norway within the Foundation’s ongoing efforts to support those affected by the recent events in the area.

This emergency intervention aims to provide direct food assistance to displaced families living under harsh conditions and lacking basic necessities, helping to alleviate their suffering and support their ability to cope with daily challenges.

This distribution comes as part of DAN’s Emergency Response Program for Displaced People, which includes the provision of various urgent basic services to ensure the preservation of dignity for affected individuals under such difficult circumstances.

Through these rapid interventions, DAN Foundation continues to demonstrate its commitment to providing essential support to community members during times of crisis, reaffirming its ability to respond swiftly and effectively to emergency needs, and strengthening its leading role in humanitarian response in affected areas.

The DAN Foundation, in partnership with DCA, is implementing an integrated agricultural project in the Hjeira Al-Balad area of Darayya in Rural Damascus, aiming to strengthen the capacities of the agricultural cooperative and empower its members to develop their agricultural production and improve their livelihoods sustainably.

As part of its support for agricultural development, DAN is training cooperative members on producing vegetables outside their traditional seasons using greenhouses and agricultural tunnels, through the application of the Farmer Field Schools methodology.

A model field school has been established on one of the farmers’ land, where the foundation equipped it with: an integrated plastic house for producing early spring vegetables, and a set of plastic tunnels sufficient for cultivating two donums of vegetables.

The training is conducted both theoretically and practically under the supervision of specialized trainers, with direct follow-up from the Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and the Rural Damascus Agriculture Directorate, ensuring the quality of training and the application of proper agricultural practices.

In addition to agricultural support, two groups have been formed from cooperative members under the name Disaster Risk Reduction groups. Members of these groups receive specialized training in planning and responding to natural disasters, and supporting farmers in emergency situations, particularly fire risks. They have also been provided with essential tools that enable them to intervene quickly and effectively to protect agricultural lands and livelihoods.

In the upcoming phase, the DAN Foundation intends to rehabilitate the community infrastructure of the agricultural cooperative, including the cooperative’s warehouse and administration office, aiming to enhance the cooperative’s role as an effective community institution capable of providing better services to its members.

These integrated interventions seek to empower the agricultural cooperative in Hjeirat Al-Balad, enhance its technical and administrative capacities, and increase its resilience in facing economic and agricultural challenges, ensuring sustainable income sources and the continuity of its future projects.