Category: Activities

UDER recent activities

UDER conducts a public survey on the use of face masks in the context of COVID-19 in northwest Syria

UDER conducts a public survey on the use of face masks in the context of COVID-19 in northwest Syria

A community health worker during an interview in Idleb

In July 2020, Relief Experts Association conducted a public survey on the use of face masks in the context of COVID-19 in NW Syria. The survey aimed at providing valuable information from northwest Syria on how people look at face masks as a preventive measure against COVID-19, and what practices they are adhering to in this regard. The survey was done through face-to-face interviews with 767 randomly selected individuals from 9 districts across northwest Syria.

The survey concluded that:
1.      As the knowledge among survey participants about face masks was inadequate, increasing the public awareness-raising campaigns and activities promoting the proper use of non-medical (fabric) face masks by the community could be helpful during this pandemic. The campaign may have more focus on people (particularly women) above 50 years of age due to the higher gaps in their knowledge compared to the below 50. In many areas, women above 50 showed lower levels of knowledge compared to men, while in the Syrian context, their role in raising children is more important.

2.      Since the most common reason for participants’ who didn’t wear face masks outside their homes was inability to afford buying one, providing face masks and distributing them to the population for free is expected to increase the practice significantly, especially that people seem to have a positive attitude towards wearing them. This can be combined with a campaign to educate the population on making home-made facemasks to overcome supply limitations.

3.      Wearing a Niqab by Muslim women in NW Syria is a common practice and perceived by many participants as an alternative to face masks, although there is no proof that niqabs are effective as face masks. Specific guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that cloth masks must fit “snugly” on the sides of the face, but not all niqabs are tight-fitting. The resources of Corona Awareness Team of NW Syria don’t currently include any specific instructions about niqabs, although they include a broader document named “Public advisory on the use of fabric facemasks”, therefore a clear set of guidelines should be developed for the use of niqabs as facemasks and included in CAT NW Syria resources.

4.      In some areas, female participants reported less adherence to optimal practices or lower levels of knowledge. This may not necessarily translate into better practices applied by male respondents, but could also be associated with social norms and the desire to report self-adherence to best practices. These results are best interpreted when practices are observed in daily life.

5.      The stigma around wearing face masks in public seem to be preventing a significant part of the population in NWS from wearing face masks, and could even be a reason for not following other preventive measures. More effort by educational campaigns and the media can be dedicated to reducing this stigma and this can be supported by public figures who present themselves wearing masks and following preventive precautions.

The full report is available here:

أول إصابة بمرض كوفيد-19 في شمال غرب سوريا

أول إصابة بمرض كوفيد-19 في شمال غرب سوريا

تم إثبات أول حالة إصابة بمرض كوفيد-19 في شمال غرب سوريا في 9 تموز 2020، وهذا يعتبر يوماً حاسماً وبداية تحدٍّ حقيقي أمام عمليات الإغاثة في سوريا. تعاني منطقة شمال غرب سوريا من نظام صحي منهك، وبنية تحتية مدمرة، وتمثل أحد أكثر المناطق اكتظاظاً بالسكان حول العالم، مع وجود 1.2 مليون شخص يعيشون في مخيمات النزوح

كعضو فاعل في فريق العمل الصحي المختص بمواجهة كوفيد19 في شمال غرب سوريا، انضمت منظمة خبراء الإغاثة إلى عدد من المنظمات الأخرى للتحضير لهذا اليوم منذ شهر آذار 2020. قامت خبراء الإغاثة بتطوير أدلة عمل إرشادية، وتدريب أكثر من 890 عاملاً وقائد مجتمع، وتوظيف عدد إضافي من عمال الصحة المجتمعية، وتركيب خيم لفرز الحالات في المراكز الصحية لتخفيف المخاطر التي يواجهها المرضى والكادر الطبي

اعتباراً من شهر تموز 2020، تقوم خبراء الإغاثة بإطلاق 750 عامل صحة مجتمعية حول مناطق شمال غرب سوريا المختلفة، ليعملوا مع عمال الإغاثة وأفراد وقادة المجتمع لتوحيد الجهود في سبيل إنقاذ حياة 4.2 مليون إنسان

مزيد من أخبارنا على لينكد إن

فرق التوعية المجتمعية تقوم بالتأكد من سلامة الطلاب وبتطبيق إجراءات الوقاية قبل دخولهم إلى الامتحانات

First COVID-19 case in northwest Syria

First COVID-19 case in northwest Syria

The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in northwest Syria (NWS) on 9 July 2020. This marks a critical day and a real challenge to aid operations in Syria. NWS already has an exhausted health system, destroyed infrastructure, and one of the most condensed locations in the world with over 1.2 million living in displacement camps.
Relief Experts Association (UDER) as an active member of the NWS COVID-19 health taskforce, has joined other organizations in preparing for this day since March 2020. UDER developed prevention guides, trained over 890 workers and community leaders, recruited additional CHWs, and installed triage tents in health centers to reduce risks to patients and staff.
As of July 2020, UDER is dispatching 750 CHWs across northwest Syria to work with aid workers, community members and leaders to ensure that we are all working together to save the lives of 4.2 million people in NWS.

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CHWs explaining prevention measures during food distribution activities in Idleb
December response to displacement from Southern Idleb

December response to displacement from Southern Idleb

An IDP patient referred from Termanin PHC to a referral hospital due a chest injury during the displacement

In December, Relief Experts Association (UDER) scaled up its health services in Sarmada, Termanin, and Atareb communities in Idleb and Aleppo governorates. UDER’s Sarmada and Termanin PHCs are located in Dana, which is the subdistrict that received the highest number of IDPs from southern Idleb and Maaret Annuman, according to CCCM Cluster in Gaziantep, while Atareb PHC is located in Atareb subdistrict, which is the second highest IDP arrival subdistrict.

Among the communities where Relief Experts is operating, Termanin witnessed the most significant burden, as 3 new IDP shelters were established to host the IDPs coming from southern Idleb. A referral pathway was established between Rehana IDP shelter and Termanin PHC with support from SRD’s referral network to transfer patients from Rehana and other IDP shelters to Termanin PHC. The referral cars transfer around 15-20 IDP patients at a time to Termanin PHC to receive health services in pediatric, internal medicine and gynecology clinics. The number of new IDP visits to Termanin PHC reached more than 50 per day starting mid-December, which increased the IDP visits to the facility by 30%. In Atareb and Sarmada, the health facilities have already reached their full capacity due to the large number of IDPs who arrived to these two communities during previous displacements, however, the percentage of IDP patients visiting the facilities slightly increased in December.

Although UDER’s facilities do not provide 24-hour services, the staff volunteered to respond to urgent cases after working hours, which may require an expansion in staff if the population numbers remain high for the next 2 months. The three health facilities are also providing referrals to higher level facilities in coordination with different referral networks and ambulance systems in the area. 

Relief Experts participates in Copenhagen’s Senior Officials Meeting on Syria

Relief Experts participates in Copenhagen’s Senior Officials Meeting on Syria

Relief Experts as a main speaker from NW Syria hub

Relief Experts participated as a speaker at the Humanitarian Senior Officials Meeting on Syria, which was hosted by the Government of Denmark in Copenhagen between 19 and 20 November 2019.
The focus of the meeting was to address challenges in the Syrian humanitarian context, fostering a solution-oriented dialogue and discussing possible step forwards. The meeting represented a follow up of previous discussions held since 2018 in Oslo, Berlin and Geneva, and it was attended by donors, members of the Humanitarian Task Force and of the International Syria Support Group, all the members of the Strategic Steering Group and representatives of all humanitarian hubs.

During the two-day meeting, Relief Expert’s CEO, Dr. Hani Taleb, was part of the panel on NW Syria, represented the perspective of humanitarian health-focused NGOs, presented the main challenges in northwest Syria, and outlined solutions to preserve and improve the impact of health aid provided to the displaced population in Syria and the refugees in Turkey.

Relief Experts’ CEO as part of the panel on NW Syria
Together for better health

Together for better health

“We are rallying efforts in order to reach the widest range of Syrian and Arab refugees in Turkey”, Dr. Hani Taleb, UDER’s CEO.

Reaching the maximum number of refugees in Turkey with health education and advice on utilizing healthcare services is a challenge. Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees in the world, and they reside across the country in large cities and urban areas. The government of Turkey is providing a full range of health services to Syrian and Arab refugees, but these services are affected by barriers such as language, culture and social norms.

To maximize the impact of this project, UDER established a number of partnerships with local NGOs in Turkey to provide channels of communication with the wide refugee community, starting in Gaziantep and Istanbul. This effort is still far from reaching the maximum number of NGOs and civil society actors, but the network is growing every day.

Refugee Community Health Program in Turkey

Refugee Community Health Program in Turkey

Emerging from the needs of the refugee community in Turkey, UDER started this project in order to deliver health education at the community level, and to raise the awareness of the Syrian and Arab refugees about the best way of utilizing health services in Turkey.

When an elder refugee spends hours at a hospital because he or she doesn’t know how to book an appointment, when a mother leaves her children at home to visit a migrant health center without knowing what services this center provides, and when a worker takes few hours from his job to take his child to a health center only to find out that what he needs is not offered at this level; all of these are forms of knowledge barriers facing refugees everyday. Such barriers and challenges can easily be addressed with community health programs.

Building on its experience in community health programming in Syria, UDER started this project in Gaziantep and Istanbul in 2019. The project requires a close coordination with different levels of services providers, civil society actors, and above all the large refugee community in Turkey, and UDER decided to take this challenge with the aim of reaching the best utilization of refugee-focused health services in Turkey.

Off to a great start!

Off to a great start!

After school supplementary educational session, 1st group

UDER started its supplementary education program in Gaziantep with a select group of 5th grade students. The program aims at providing the critical support needed for these children to ensure that they can keep up with the demands of the Turkish education system despite that the have been exposed to this system for the first time in their educational life.

The groups are limited in size to ensure an deficient teacher/student interaction
A day full of joy and hope

A day full of joy and hope

Student interviews for 5th grade supplementary education program

It was a joyful day. UDER’s team with Homs Abroad staff met with 5th grade students who were selected to receive supplementary education for better integration in the Turkish educational system. The children showed a huge passion for learning and an outstanding aspiration to becoming leaders of their communities. They showed a remarkable understanding of the challenge that lies ahead, yet an enormous amount of confidence.

Student interviews for 5th grade supplementary education program
Relief Experts’ updates from Health Cluster

Relief Experts’ updates from Health Cluster

The Health Cluster in Gaziantep produces a monthly bulletin which provides an overall update on the main activities reported by health actors in northwestern Syria. The report talks about the recent developments in northwestern Syria, challenges and risks facing healthcare, progress towards the planned health targets and a brief from different NGOs on their conducted activities. Relief experts was part of this report which talks about its recent improvements in PHC and community health and some of the health trends picked up by UDER’s field teams.

Relief Experts launches a new program for supporting integration of Syrian students in Turkish schools

Relief Experts launches a new program for supporting integration of Syrian students in Turkish schools

In partnership with Homs League Abroad, Relief Experts Association launches a new program for supporting the integration of Syrian students in Turkish public schools. The program will provide supplemental lessons for Syrian students who are already enrolled in public Turkish schools, but are facing difficulties in keeping up with their Turkish peers. The program will rely on Turkish and Syrian teachers to provide daily supplementary sessions covering the full curriculum applied at Turkish schools. The program will also provide transportation for the students to ensure the participation of student living in underserved neighborhoods.

Developments in Northwestern Syria as of 6 September 2019

Developments in Northwestern Syria as of 6 September 2019

UDER’s community workers visiting an IDP site in Idleb

The humanitarian situation for people in northwest Syria continues to deteriorate as the latest escalation in hostilities is now in its fourth month. Hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured due to airstrikes and shelling since 1 May while almost 630,000 displacements took place as people have fled their homes to escape from violence and to reach essential services that they need to survive.
The overwhelming majority of the displaced people are moving to densely-populated areas close to the Turkish border in northern Idleb governorate, where humanitarian assistance is overstretched.

Relief Experts Association has scaled-up its support to the newly displaced IDPs who arrived to Dana and Atareb through its primary healthcare centers and outreach community health teams. While the humanitarian response is ongoing to address the pressing needs of the newly displaced individuals as well as host communities, additional funding is urgently required to maintain and scale-up the current levels of emergency response in the coming weeks and months.

Local sources reported an accelerated movement of civilians northward away from the hostilities as the frontlines shifted. While the exact number of displaced individuals is difficult to ascertain at this stage, local sources are reporting that entire communities fled from the violence and in anticipation of hostilities affecting their villages and towns. Between 1 and 27 August, more than 130,000 displacements have been recorded from northern Hama and southern Idleb governorates. Many of these individuals and families have been displaced before, some of them multiple times, which makes them extremely vulnerable to additional shocks. The most recent wave of displacement adds increasing vulnerability for people in already dire humanitarian situation in northwest Syria. From 1 May to 27 August, some 630,000 individual displacements, which include secondary displacements2, have been recorded from northern Hama and southern Idleb governorates. Displacement within GoS-controlled areas is estimated currently at some 10,585 individuals, primarily in frontline villages in northern rural Hama and northern rural Latakia governorates.

Since late April, hundreds of civilians, many of whom are women and children, have lost their lives while countless others have suffered severe injuries, often leaving them with permanent disabilities. From 19 April to 29 August, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented that 1,089 civilians, including 572 men, 213 women and 304 children, were killed due to airstrikes and shelling carried out by parties to the conflict. The suffering of women, men, boys and girls is exacerbated by the widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure crucial for survival. Since late April, 51 health care facilities have reported receiving damage by violence in northwest Syria, as reported by WHO. Over the course of only two days, 28 to 30 August, seven medical facilities were reportedly damaged by airstrikes according to WHO. Six of these facilities – four hospitals and two primary health care centres – were functional at the time of the incidents. At least two of the health facilities damaged by airstrikes in August were paediatrics and maternity hospitals, yet another example of the heavy toll that the violence is taking on women and children. Similarly, the devastating effect of the hostilities on educational facilities will become more acute as the new school year is due to start in late September. While UNICEF reported 87 incidents that affected schools due the hostilities, education cluster members reported that 59 individual schools have been damaged by the violence since late April. Moreover, at least 94 schools are reportedly being used as shelter by IDPs across northwest Syria. According to one report, out of an estimated 650,000 school-aged children in northwest Syria, less than half can be accommodated at the remaining functional schools.

Read more here.