Can you provide holistic Protection services and a nurturing to 20 unaccompanied and separated children in northwest Syria? At SARD's Interim Alternative Care Center in Azaz, we provide unaccompanied and separated children with critical protection services. This includes a nurturing home with dedicated caregivers, accelerated learning support so they can catch up on their education, psychological support services, health services, and facilitating family reunification or foster placement.
Unaccompanied and separated children in northwest Syria face a complex array of challenges. These challenges often include trauma and psychosomatic problems, exposure to violence and displacement, disrupted education, inadequate healthcare access, child protection risks (child marriage, labor and recruitment to military), exploitation and abuse, malnutrition, and more. The situation was already dire owing to 12 years of conflict, but the earthquakes have significantly compounded the situation.
We address immediate needs of children by providing a safe and nurturing home as we offer comprehensive protection services and family reunification which is extremely time intensive and challenging. When we do find a child's family, often they are facing challenges which led to separation in the first place so we partner with the entire family to ensure they are set up for success. In cases where family reunification is not possible, we find a screened foster family for each child.
Our holistic and multi-sectoral integrated response means that we give children and their families the support and resources they need to thrive. We know that our work is critical to creating a more resilient and healthier generation capable of shaping a brighter future for themselves and our community.
