By Zana al-Ali
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Fatima hoped that the Social Welfare Center, inaugurated on Jan. 29 by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), would play a vital role in providing individuals and families returning from Hawl Camp, northeastern Syria, with services to assist them amid the harsh living conditions and integrating them into society.
Fatima Hamed, who returned from Hawl Camp in 2021, like thousands of families undoubtedly bears the stigma of the Islamic State (ISIS) alongside the challenges of finding a job in order to overcome poverty.
In October 2023, 96 families comprising 360 individuals headed towards Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria, after being released from Hawl Camp.
“We are the marginalized group in society, as the majority of us are orphans and widows. We are vulnerable and hope to live like others,” said Hamed, a widow and mother of four children.
Since the defeat of ISIS by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town of Baghuz in eastern Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria, in March 2019, over 900 families have departed from the camp to Raqqa. These families were released under the sponsorship of tribal leaders and after obtaining security approvals.
Hamed said that many families suffer from disabilities resulting from the battle of Baghuz, the last stronghold of ISIS in Syria. This battle has particularly affected children. “As a result, we hold hope for specialized care, particularly in the realm of healthcare.”
She noted that the most significant challenges are harsh living conditions, rising house rents, and the loss of identification documents.
Returnees from Hawl Camp complain about their children not being able to enroll in schools due to the loss of their identification documents, which has become their major concern.
Social Welfare Center
The Raqqa Civil Council of the AANES opened on Jan. 29 the Social Welfare Center dedicated to the returnees from Hawl Camp in the city of Raqqa.
The opening ceremony of the Center was attended by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USID) and organizations interested in reintegrating Hawl Camp returnees into society. It was also attended by officials from the AANES, activists, and civil society organizations concerned with holding sessions aimed at boosting social cohesion and reintegrating the returnees into the local community.
The center, the first of its kind in AANES-held areas, plans to open branches in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, and Tabqa and Manbij in northern Syria.
In a previous interview with North Press, Jihad Hassan, Co-chair of the Social Affairs and Labor Committee in the Raqqa Civil Council, said that the committee, in partnership with a supporting organization, evaluates the needs of returnees and recording their addresses to deliver necessary services, care, and food assistance.
Hassan said that following the assessment, the Committee will carry out a survey to identify children who require education and healthcare, while also documenting the number of women, individuals with disabilities, and the various health and social challenges they face.
He clarified that the center will have several branches and offices dedicated to caring for widows, people with special needs, and those affected by the war. These offices will be concerned with providing psychological support, training, and rehabilitation sessions.
Coordination with organizations is essential
Bashar al-Karaf, Executive Director of the Oxygen Shabab (Oxygen Youth) Organization, emphasized that the opening of the center focusing on women and vulnerable groups in society, including those returning from Hawl Camp, came in response to the significant need for those families to reintegrate into the local community.
Al-Karaf highlighted the necessity of coordination between the center and local, international and civil society organizations working on social cohesion to leverage the services provided by these organizations.
Civil society organizations in Raqqa are actively assisting returnees from Hawl Camp by conducting sessions that offer psychological support, address gender-related issues, and promote social cohesion. However, these organizations are facing challenges in reaching certain families who have returned from the camp.
Returnees face numerous challenges, primarily related to securing shelter, obtaining personal documents, and finding job opportunities, according to al-Karaf.
Al-Karaf said that many organizations support the center by providing projects related to protection, psychological support, and economic empowerment.
Na’ima Muhammad, Co-chair of the center, stated that the center receives all individuals of vulnerable groups, especially those returning from the Camp.
Muhammad informed North Press that the center collaborates with USAID, a partner in the center, to coordinate the implementation of the Basic Services Program.
The center will act as a bridge linking between the returnees and humanitarian organizations, said Muhammad.
A week ago, the Monitoring and Documentation Department of North Press organized a dialogue forum in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, with the participation of human rights activists, and women who have returned from the camp, discussing reintegration of returnees into their local communities and the challenges they face.