Government, Civil Society Associations Cooperate to Assist Families Affected by the Crisis

The Syrian government and civil society associations have spared no effort as to assist the families affected by the crisis in Syria to alleviate their suffering and help them improve their socio-economic conditions.

 The “Assawari” civil society association in Lattakia in the presence of Director of the Social Affairs and Labor in the province, Mr. Bashaar Dandash, recently held a sewing workshop to help women affected by the crisis start their own projects.

Talking to the Syriatimes e-newspaper about the importance of the workshop, Mr. Dandash said that such small projects are very important and necessary to help Syrian women, especially those who are the only breadwinner for their families, achieve social stability and get their own income.

 According to Dandash, the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry supports and offers all kinds of  facilities to the civil society associations to help them be a vital and important partner of the government in confronting big challenges and difficulties and in development and reconstruction in Syria.

Hailing Assawari’s role in providing different kinds of vital humanitarian assistance and long- term care to affected families, Dandash said that the ministry classifies non-government organizations in Lattakia according to their objectives and activities and its top priority now is to support the work of the NGOs which are keen on caring for the families of the martyrs and the wounded Syrian soldiers and for the displaced families, with reference to “Assawari” association.

He went on to say that Lattakia’s labor and social affairs directorate always carries out joint workshops with the associations to provide them with technical and administrative abilities that help them carry out their initiatives on ground.

On her part, Mrs. Afnan Blal, Head of “ Assawari” civil society association said “I would like to hail the role being played by Syrian women in our society within the current hard times  and difficult circumstances through which the country has been passing, as they have undertaken more responsibilities and duties.”

She told the Syriatimes that this sewing workshop is a support initiative that seeks alleviating the economic suffering of the mothers and sisters of the children registered in “Assawari” association and whose families fled the atrocities of terrorist groups in several provinces.

 “We provide free training on sewing to women to qualify them to work in a sewing workshop which would be a first step towards establishing a big factory,” She said

Mrs. Blal stressed this project aims at empowering these women socially, economically, financially and psychologically as well as creating job opportunities for them to improve their incomes,  adding that the sewing workshop’s revenues go to supporting the children registered in “Assawari” and to their families.

“These ladies, who are provided training on sewing, send a messages to the world that the Syrian women will never surrender or lose hope. On the contrary, they will spare no effort as to effectively and positively take part in rebuilding the country and confronting  big challenges” Mrs. Blal made it clear.

The ladies at the sewing workshop also talked to the Syriatimes, expressing their pleasure over joining the workshop as it has given them hope in a new life and helped enhance their presence in the country and improve their income through carrying out their own projects.

They highly appreciated all kinds of assistance offered by “Assawari ” to them and their children and stressed their insistence on overcoming the bad circumstances they have faced under the crisis through consolidating their self-confidence and belief that that even they aren’t in the battlefield, they are able to defend their country through work. 

Interviewed by Rawaa Ghanam