Millions of men, women, boys, and girls are exposed to the danger of explosive ordnance. The contamination causes death, injuries, and hampers access to services, homes and lands. After 12 years, explosive ordnance contamination remains a major concern in the #Syria crisis   → 1 in 2 Syrians live in areas contaminated by explosives → 1 in 3 community is estimated to present some form of explosive contamination → 1 in 3 households returning to areas they had previously fled are concerned about the presence of unexploded ordnance. Men and boys are more directly at risk of incident → 10.2 M people are estimated to be living at risk of explosive ordnance in 2022 (HNO). Half are children → Majority of casualties continue to be adults, especially men. Women and girls are more impacted by indirect threat and long-term consequences of contamination. → Farmers and herders are the most affected → Children, often unaware of danger are highly vulnerable   Raising awareness on the dangers of explosive hazards is an essential, life-saving, component of the humanitarian response for vulnerable communities affected by the conflict in Syria. It is critical to providing men, women, boys and girls with the knowledge of the dangers they face and provide the tools to make informed decisions and prevent potential accidents. In its role as the Mine action Area of Responsibility lead in Syria, UNMAS is committed to ensuring that communities are aware of these risks and that community members are encouraged to behave in ways that reduce the risk posed by explosive ordnance. To maximize reach, UNMAS & UNICEF jointly developed tailored Risk Education Videos for identified at-risk groups, such as children, displaced people, farmers.  The videos are being shared across major social media channels to help spread awareness on safe behaviors.

2022, Dar’a, south Syria – “The children I teach, tell me their dreams consist of voices,” says Saad. He is a renowned local sculptor, and he teaches children with visual impairments to recognize spaces and shapes. “They don’t have images in their minds to refer back to and I hope to give them some new things to dream of, “he adds. Saad's clay courses are held at the UNICEF -supported centre in Dar’a, south Syria and they are part of a UN Joint Programme. The Programme is a joint effort by six UN agencies, and it aims to strengthen urban and rural resilience by supporting people to cope with the impacts of protracted crisis in Syria and revive their pursuit of a better future.   Seven-year-old Kotada is one of the children who has benefitted from Saad’s arts classes, but before finding his way to the centre and the classes, he went through a difficult journey. In 2011, the violence forced Kotada’s family to flee their home village in rural Dar’a. They were displaced multiple times and survived challenging circumstances. In 2017, when temporarily in Da’el town, north of Dar’a city, the family rented a place for shelter. Ayman, Kotada’s father, with Amin and Mohammad, his eldest sons, sold old clothes for a living. One day, a shell fell while Kotada was playing outside and injured him severely – and changed his life forever. “I heard a terrible noise, but the dust prevented me from seeing what had happened,” said his mother, who rushed out of the house to check on Kotada. His sister Sidra, who is his best friend, was injured as well. They were taken to a hospital to be treated after the incident. Doctors told their mother that Kotada had lost his right eye and the left one required intensive treatment. Sidra had shrapnel all over her body and underwent several surgeries to remove them. Despite the eye surgeries, Kotada lost his vision partially. He was only three at the time. In late 2018, with respite in violence, his family returned home to Ataman and stayed in their conflict-damaged house. “We’re still fixing it today, but at least we’re at home,” said his mother Ghossoun. Hoping to help Kotada regain some sense of normalcy and make friends, Ghoussoun approached an elementary school in the village. The school’s director told her about an education programme, supported by UNICEF through the UN Joint Programme, in Dar’a city. It welcomed children with visual impairments. “In September 2021, my boy started school. His sister Sidra and his cousins would accompany him there,” added Ghoussoun. “I visit him during recess and look after him. I’ll always be his eyes instead of the ones he lost,” said Sidra. At the same time, Kotada began frequenting the UNICEF -supported centre, part of the Joint UN Programme. There, he learned Braille. It is a language used by blind and partially sighted people. It consists of combinations of raised dots; all letters and numbers are represented by a combination so that books and other materials can be read through touch. Kotada also took part in life skills sessions together with other children with visual impairments. The programmes are designed to help children with disabilities integrate and feel included in regular schools and empower them with skills for the future. “He has become more confident and sociable,” said Ghoussoun about her son. He asks her to take him to the centre regularly. The clay course was one of the courses Kotada and his peers participated in at the centre. “I intended to introduce the children to clay shaping while having fun. The results turned out surprisingly significant! Children began grasping the meaning of different shapes for the first time,” said Saad, the teacher. Out his love for clay sculpting, Kotada used his spare time at home to play with homemade playdough and draw shapes he learned during the course. “We discovered Kotada has artistic talents. Who knows, he might become a famous artist in the future!” said his sister Sidra. In Dar’a, UNICEF, under the UN Joint Programme, has reached more than 1,000 children with disabilities with remedial classes since 2021. Over 200 out of school children with disabilities have benefitted from education services tailored to their learning needs. Some 22,000 young people have been reached with youth empowerment activities. The activities are part of the UN Joint Programme, through UNICEF, and they have been implemented with support from the European Union and Norway. The UN Joint Programme on Urban and Rural Resilience is a unique pooled and multi-donor financing mechanism, offering an enabling platform to enhance joint analysis, coherent planning and joined-up implementation towards efficiency and greater impact.  

February 2022, Hasakeh, northeast Syria – “No words can describe my happiness when I see a child run into their parents’ arms,” Ruqaya says smiling. Together with her team, she has successfully reunified more than 75 children with their caregivers. “We put in place a plan to trace the family members of each child. Things take time sometimes, but the team and I stay motivated as long as there is progress. It means that the distance between the child and his or her caregivers is getting shorter,” she adds. Ruqaya supervises a team of 38 case managers. They work with a UNICEF -supported partner in Hasakeh, northeast Syria, to connect children with essential services and to ultimately reunite them with their families and caregivers. It includes work in camps where internally displaced persons have taken shelter from violence. “Working with separated and unaccompanied children is not easy,” Ruqaya says. The case management process matches the needs of each child with the available services. It includes connecting children with various social and legal services. The process is often lengthy, and it can last for months. During the long years of conflict in Syria, Ruqaya and her colleagues have worked in extremely challenging situations. At times the job has taken a toll on Ruqaya. “During my first year on the job, I’d think about work even at home and I’d reflect on interactions with separated children and desperate families,” she explains. Yet, she is determined to continue the work. “Children have the right to live in a safe environment, to grow up with their families and among their siblings,” reiterates Ruqaya. She believes case management is life changing support rather than merely a service provided. Ruqaya and her colleagues have supported countless numbers of Syrian children who have lost track of their parents due to the conflict. They are the hidden everyday heroes. “Children have the right to live in a safe environment, to grow up with their families and among their siblings,” Ruqaya, a supervisor of case managers with a UNICEF -supported partner   In 2021, UNICEF reached over 450 protection workers and community volunteers in Hasakeh, northeast Syria, with training on various child protection subjects, including on child protection foundations, case management, psychosocial support, explosive ordnance risk education, gender-based violence, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. UNICEF -trained case managers supported 5,000 children and adult survivors of gender-based violence and provided support through case management. Also, over 38,000 children were provided with recreational activities as well as individual and group counselling and nearly 5,000 caregivers with guidance on parental care. More than 350,000 children and caregivers benefitted from awareness raising on the prevention from family separation and risks of unexploded ordnance as well as protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. The activities were funded by the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KFW Development Bank.

“It all starts with an idea. We had this dream for years, we finally made it a reality” Maysa’a one of the founders of the Social Solidarity Kitchen in Swaida. In 2021, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched the Idea Challenge project, the first social enterprise programme in Syria with the aim of supporting the development of new and/or existing social enterprises that contribute to women’s economic empowerment. What is a social enterprise? A social enterprise or social business is defined as a business with specific social objectives. By selling goods and services, social enterprises create employment and reinvest their profits back into their business or the local community. In this way, social enterprises contribute to tackling social problems, improving people’s life chances, all while providing training and employment opportunities. Why social enterprise? Over a decade of war and crisis in Syria have pushed millions of people into unemployment and poverty. More than 90 percent of the Syrian population is estimated to be living below the poverty line, and close to two-thirds live in extreme poverty with women being disproportionately affected. At the same time, women’s participation in the labour force remains relatively weak at 22 percent, compared with 78 percent for men. With less access to land and asset ownership women face significant barriers in accessing financing opportunities. Among micro, small and medium sized enterprises, women own 35 percent of businesses, of which 73 percent operate in the informal sector. That is why it is important to invest in social enterprises that are led by women, staffed by women, and created for women who can be catalysts for change. How we did it? The announcement and call for applications for the Idea Challenge Project was made on UNDP Syria Facebook page reaching over 200 thousand people. 359 teams applied for the competition, from all over Syria. Using rigorous criteria to choose the ideas most likely to succeed, 50 teams were selected to participate in a four-day bootcamp in business model generation and business plan development. “It was very inspiring to see all the diverse and innovative ideas we have received from women from all walks of life” said Tammam Yahia, private sector and MSMEs support and development programme specialist. “We received many innovative ideas that challenge traditional gender norms, offering solutions to address some of the barriers facing women’s economic empowerment and marginalized communities” he added. At the end of the boot camp, 26 winning teams received financial support and mentorship from the Syrian Business Council (SBC). How they did it?...Meet some of the champions by read the full story