As a charity operating in Syria, we are acutely aware that beyond the emergency needs of those caught in the conflict, their hopes and future livelihoods within whole communities have been torn apart. When looking at how to help Syria, we recognise that many have been forced to abandon their studies or careers. Millions of children have been forced out of education since the start of the conflict and a generation is growing up illiterate.
We are working to empower and rebuild lives. This not only means ensuring access to clean water, food and healthcare to those who need it most, but also it equally means restoring hope, creating opportunities and fostering an environment that will help re-establish communities. Working in Syria, we want to restore the dignity of the Syrian individual, as a human being and as a person with potential.
ATMEH MIDWIFERY INSTITUTION
Since September 2017, we have formalised midwifery studies within Atmeh hospital and developed a structured and academic training program to empower women from across north west Syria to gain qualifications and learn a vital role within medicine. Currently, we have 74 trainees, 41 in their second year and 34 in their first. They have the option to live on site, making it far safer for them to attend classes, and cutting out the time and risk in commuting back to their villages and towns.
Students take 6 subjects per year and have 12 hours of theoretical teaching and 4 hours of practicals per week, ranging from anatomy, physiology and embryology to adult nursing practices, maternal health and communication skills. We are incredibly proud of our students and staff for committing to their studies whilst still living in war-torn conditions, and we hope that with this programme more women will be safe and supported throughout their pregnancy and labour.
Our Response: How to help Syria
- We design projects that help rebuild entire communities by providing training, educational and work opportunities to individuals from within the affected communities, the disabled and to female heads of households.
- We equip people with life skills that lead to creating a source of livelihood.
- We employ Syrians living in the areas local to where we work to provide them with the opportunity to earn a living and acquire new skills, which enables them to provide for their families and empowers the local economy
- We’re helping to get people back into work by providing job opportunities, and encouraging beneficiaries to think beyond relying on humanitarian aid alone
- Following on the success of our nursing training program in over the past four years, we continued to run this programme throughout 2017.
- From September 2017, we established a formal Midwifery Institution in Atmeh, which has been supported by CanDo Action and which will be expanded and further developed this year to ensure that we continue to train and equip skilled midwives to their communities
- We are proud to have trained over 260 health workers since 2016, which including doctors, nurses, community health workers and midwives. We strongly believe that to help Syria is to empower and build the capacity of Syrians to help themselves.