We study the cases to know what are the needs of the people here. We visit their houses. We don't implement any plan without knowing what is needed and knowing that the plan will meet their needs.
We have a law department which, among other things, helps people who have lost their identity papers during the war."
Vocational training is offered at the center, including teaching women to sew and men to paint homes.
We also support them with courses on how they can start their own businesses, how to market their products and business. After the workshop we provide them money to start their own businesses, some are loans and others they don't need to repay. After the courses, we connect the beneficiaries with factories or places of work. And others start their own small businesses."
Khodr explained that psychological support is offered to women whose husbands were martyred or kidnapped by the FSA or other terrorist groups and to victims of domestic violence. "We teach them to know their rights," he said.
Children also received psychological support, and for children who have left school because of the war, the Trust gives them special classes to get caught up enough to return to schools.
"This applies to children up to baccalaureate level. We also have classes for people who never studied, elderly who don't know how to write or read. They receive a certificate from the Syrian government."
I asked about the women whose husbands might have been members of the FSA or other terrorist groups. "Aren't you worried that the women will earn money and give it to their husband, to the fighters?"
Khoder replied, "The people who live here are very poor, very in need. They want to live, eat, sleep in peace, they won't be giving their money to fighters, they need it simply to live. Here we work with beneficiaries as people, not numbers. Other NGOs (UN etc) you'll see them working in high-class clothing. Here we work with them as brothers and sisters. We work with them whatever their religious or political view. We work with them as humans. They are our brothers and sisters in Syria."
This last point, about how the Trust deals with those it helps, I saw for myself when Trust employees were talking with the injured soldiers receiving vocational training. They indeed took an interest in the soldiers' lives, engaging with them as fellow Syrians, to the point that when it was learned that it was the one year birthday of a soldier's daughter, a cake was procured and we visited the family.
Over the tabbouleh and kibbeh the family offered, as the birthday girl wobbled around the room charming all, the grandfather, himself having served many years in the army, spoke with pride about his wounded son's service. The personal insights gleaned from conversations and from seeing the state of homes helps the Trust to assess their needs, even needs not mentioned by recipients themselves.
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