WAITING FOR THE SUN. WHEN EVERY MEETING CARRIES LOSS
The Darna Al Aman project with theOtto per mille of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai and the NGO Doz brought services and awareness
ROME - The number of beneficiaries of Darna Al-Aman, "our protected home", a project that Un Ponte Per has just completed for women and girls at risk or survivors of gender-based violence in Raqqa, has not only been reached but exceeded. This city in north-east Syria is suffering the consequences of the war that has gripped the country since 2011, including having been the capital of the Islamic State group between 2014 and 2017. Thus, in order to offer protection and prevention services, since 2021 Un Ponte Per has created "safe spaces" for women and girls, as well as adolescents, girls and children, thanks to funds from the Otto per mille of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai, and in collaboration with the local NGO Doz. While initially 1,035 beneficiaries had been identified, the project reached a total of 1,115, or 108% of the target, including 989 women and 149 girls aged 12 to 17.
Ambra Malandrin, Un Ponte Per project contact person in Syria explains: "We know thatonly 7% of women victims of violence manage to get the support they need. The Safe Spaces were designed both to respond to a lack of vital services for women survivors of gender-based violence or abuse, and to create awareness about the phenomenon, in a context where violence is still present and deeply rooted, at home and outside". The safe spaces also provided services for children and caregivers, including specialised support for children experiencing violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation. There are two facilities: a space for children under the age of 6 in the Raqqa neighbourhood called 'Intifada', and one for children and adolescents in the Community Centre. Here, too, the intervention involved more beneficiaries than expected: from the 1,208 children, girls and caregivers planned, 1,749 individuals (145% of the target) were actually reached, including 877 children and adolescents, 818 girls and 54 caregivers, 49 women and 5 men. As for specific services, 238 individuals benefited from the direct management of cases of violence or abuse, including 117 women, 65 girls and 56 children.
Raqqa is largely still a city wounded by the fighting, with gutted buildings and streets destroyed by shelling, and this exacerbates the dangers for residents, encouraging aggression and crime. Insecurity exacerbates isolation, which is among the first risk factors for women and minors: if confined to the home, they are more exposed to violence from family members or neighbours. This is why Un Ponte Per has set up a transport service to access the safe spaces: a total of 2,771 rides were provided, benefiting 1,645 children and adolescents, and 1,126 women and adolescent girls.
In addition to providing specific services for the target group, Un Ponte Per decided to broaden the audience, to create awareness and prevention on the phenomenon of gender and domestic violence starting with informed services, which involved as many as 15,536 people in Raqqa, (263% of the initially identified target group), of all genders, ages and social conditions. This work was carried out in presence, through awareness-raising and group sessions led by the project staff, but above all through radio campaigns - 94% of the total - given the wide reach of this methodology, which allowed people to both listen to the broadcast and retrieve information and messages on the radio station's online platforms. Finally, training courses on specific project issues were provided for 35 members of the local Doz staff. The group, composed of 21 women and 14 men, benefited from supervision and training by both Doz and Un Ponte Per.
In the light of these numbers in Raqqa, the Darna Al-Aman project has enabled as many as 18,673 people to be involved, creating those 'new social ties' that, as Malandrin concludes, 'represent the best weapon to break isolation and bring about change in society over time'. In a context such as north-eastern Syria, where funds for humanitarian assistance are increasingly at risk, the support of the Italian Soka Gakkai Buddhist Institute's 'otto per mille' was therefore crucial in enabling Un Ponte Per and DOZ to continue their protection work.
