In the summer of 2018, thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), a wide-ranging programme of interventions in the health field called "Darna, Our Home. Support to maternal and child services for the city of Raqqa and its province", implemented by Un Ponte Per (UPP) together with its local partners, the Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC) and DOZ.
In 2023, the project entered its fifth phase, which will continue until 2024 to allow this time to support the 'Al Rasheed' clinic in Raqqa, in order to address the shortage of healthcare facilities in the area. The clinic will provide primary, neonatal and paediatric healthcare 24/7 and its services will be available to more than 34,000 people. The population will also be provided with psycho-social support, specialised protection services for women and children at risk of violence, and social inclusion for people with disabilities.
In 2022, Darna Phase IV allowed UPP to intervene in support of the Al Hilal National Hospital in Raqqa, with direct support to the hospital's reproductive health activities and the training of health personnel on reproductive and neonatal health issues. The hospital was fully rehabilitated and a paediatric ward was built. The works were completed in September 2022 and the handover of the hospital to the Local Health Committee took place. The works resulted in the construction of 80 beds for minors, 1 nursery with 10 cots, a radiology department, paediatric analysis laboratories, two paediatric outpatient clinics, an emergency paediatric surgery department and an ambulance service.
Over the years, phases I, II and III of 'Darna' enabled UPP to restore primary health services in western Raqqa to ensure first aid and safe return to the city for families wishing to do so after liberation from Daesh (Islamic State). Inter-agency protection and health services were improved and guaranteed, and places and services for the prevention of gender-based violence were established.
Three Safe Spaces have also been set up in Raqqa, dedicated to women, adolescents and minors who have survived or are at risk of gender-based violence, with protection and psychological support activities. At the same time, UPP has always guaranteed first-aid and transport services with highly equipped ambulances, staffed by paramedics and nurses it has trained over the years, capable of intervening in emergencies and stabilising patients during their transfer to hospitals.
