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“Our children are our future”: Building Resilience in Syria's Children After the Earthquake"
Afrin, Syria
The French charity Fondation de France is implementing several development and relief projects in the Afrin region in northern Syria as part of the relief plan for those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.
Among these projects are programs targeting children and their families affected by the earthquake areas, specifically the Jindires region, administratively affiliated with Afrin.
The “Ashna-Our Children are Our Future” project is one of the psychological activities targeting children and their families, men and women.
The project manager Youssef Kardosh , says: “Northern Syria, especially the city of Afrin and its surroundings, has been witnessing a stifling humanitarian crisis for more than 12 years, and the situation worsened after the earthquake that struck the region last year, resulting in heavy loss of lives and the displacement of thousands of families. This project, which targets children and their families, seeks to improve children’s psychological, emotional, cognitive, and even social skills in communicating with others within the areas affected by the earthquake.”
He continues: “In this project, we are working to implement the activities of the “Ahlan Simsim” program developed by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and “Sesame Workshop”, which includes a set of activities to enhance the skills of children and caregivers.”
The activities intended for children include play-based learning, building self-confidence, forming friendships, and recognizing and dealing with emotions. The activities intended for caregivers will include a focus on understanding the structure of the brain in early childhood and the impact of positive parenting on child development, and increasing positive interaction skills between children. Parents and children.
Kardosh stressed that the project seeks to provide a safe, child-friendly space in accordance with international standards, and to provide training to the facilitators involved in implementing the activities.
This project comes with the support of the “Fondation de France”, in cooperation with the Afrin Volunteer Team and the local council in Jindires, and implemented by the Ashna Organization.
It is worth noting that the “Fondation de France” is a French institution that relies on donations, and has contributed to supporting many humanitarian organizations and projects in northwestern Syria that sought to secure the necessary needs of those affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey.
