You can continue in English or go to the Norwegian frontpage.
Few places in Syria carry as much historical significance as Daraa. Yet the city still bears the marks of displacement, crisis, and poverty. Even in recent months, people have continued to arrive in Daraa, fleeing the fighting in As-Suwayda and seeking safety, shelter, and support.
Text: Anette Torjusen Photo: Håvard Bjelland
Often referred to as the cradle of the Syrian revolution, Daraa was where peaceful protests first erupted in 2011 and where events unfolded that would eventually spark more than a decade of devastating conflict. Entire communities were uprooted. Families were displaced. Women and children bore the brunt of a war that transformed everyday life.
Today, long after headlines have faded, the consequences remain visible.
Right now, we are standing in a building that has become a shelter for hundreds of people. Parts of the structure are missing windows and walls, and entire families are crowded into small rooms. Many of those staying here have fled the recent fighting in As-Suwayda. The family we meet is among them.
Here, Majeda Saad Lebdah lives with her six children, her father, her brother, and her husband.
They were living in As-Suwayda when their home was occupied by soldiers. For three days, the family was held captive in their own house. Her mother, grandmother, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law were shot and killed in their home while the entire family was forced to watch.
"We tried to get medical help for my mother, but it was completely impossible. She died in front of us, murdered before our eyes. It was horrific," Majeda says.
The family was forced to stay on the floor for three days and ordered not to move. Eventually, they managed to escape, just in time before the house was bombed and destroyed. They lost everything by attacking their animals, their home, and their livelihood as farmers.
"We had nothing but the clothes we were wearing. We had no food and nowhere to go. But eventually we made it here to Daraa," she says.
"We fled the house and walked all night to reach safety. This has been an unbearable ordeal for us. We are completely exhausted," she explains.
Life in a makeshift displacement shelter is far from easy. Her father is in poor health and remains deeply affected by the murder of his wife. Her brother was shot during the attack but survived. He now lives with constant pain from his injuries. The children have had to put their lives on hold, and the only food the family receives is bread. Every day, they are given three bags of bread to survive on.
"We feel forgotten, and we do not know what our future will look like," she says quietly.
Across Daraa, women continue to navigate trauma, poverty, and the aftermath of violence. Many have lost family members. Others are still struggling to rebuild lives disrupted by years of conflict and displacement. For some, even basic safety and access to healthcare remain daily concerns.
In this context, safe shelters and protection services have become lifelines.
Supported by NORAD and implemented by GOPA in partnership with Norwegian Church Aid, integrated protection and recovery programmes provide women and girls with access to psychosocial support, case management, cash assistance, vocational training, and specialized healthcare.
For survivors of violence, access to medical care can be the first step toward recovery. During the project period, 55 women and girls received specialized medical referrals tailored to their individual needs. Some required surgical interventions related to violence they had experienced. All referrals were provided through accredited health services and guided by principles of confidentiality, safety, and informed consent.
Others sought support through protection services. Trained caseworkers worked alongside survivors to assess risks, create safety plans, and connect them with appropriate services. In total, 136 survivors received individualized case management support. For 41 women and girls, cash assistance helped address urgent needs such as healthcare, shelter, transportation, food, and personal safety.
Yet recovery extends beyond immediate assistance.
For many women, simply having a safe place to meet, talk, and heal is transformative. Throughout the project, 1,000 women and girls participated in awareness sessions on gender-based violence and available support services, while 290 attended psychosocial support, mental health, and hygiene awareness activities.
At the center we meet Sana AI Masri. A friend told her about the Women and Girls Safe Space, and here she received vocational training in pedicure.
She says that the war has left deep scars, and that having the opportunity to earn an income has made a real difference.
“Before I came to the center, I was mentally exhausted. The bombs, the displacement, and living through war had completely worn me down. I was so stressed when I arrived here, always on edge. When you are constantly on the move and fleeing for safety, it also takes a toll on your relationships.
I still carry trauma with me. I remember when tanks rolled in and the town where I lived was bombed. One of my sons disappeared, and I was convinced he was dead. I managed to take my four other children with me, but he was nowhere to be found.
Thankfully, he was eventually found safe. But the hours he was missing were unbearable. Once I had my family together again, we fled.
No one should ever have to experience what it feels like to flee with their children. As I carried them, I constantly worried about how they were coping and how this would affect the rest of their lives. The pain is impossible to describe. It is something I will carry with me forever.”
Today, she has regular customers who come to her several times a week, and she continues to receive support through our center.
“I now have a small income, and after receiving support here, I feel much more at peace with myself.”
Through structured psychosocial activities based on the Women Rise and Girl Shine curricula, women and adolescent girls developed practical coping mechanisms, learned stress-management techniques, strengthened emotional resilience, and rebuilt confidence. Individual and group therapy sessions offered opportunities to process experiences that had often remained unspoken for years.
The effort also reached beyond individual participants.
Community awareness activities engaged women, girls, men, and boys in schools, health clinics, community centers, and public spaces. Discussions focused on violence prevention, harmful practices, rights, and access to services. Community members also participated in national campaigns, including the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, helping to create dialogue around issues that are frequently hidden by stigma and fear.
In a city where war once began, recovery is taking root through thousands of small but significant steps.
The story of Daraa is not only a story of conflict. It is also a story of women choosing resilience over despair, of survivors finding support when they need it most, and of communities rebuilding trust after years of division and hardship.
Abebech Gashaw, 35, is a mother of five who was displaced from Wollega in the Oromia Region in 2014 due to an ethnic driven violence. She now lives with her family in ine of the three IDP Camps in Debre Birhan…
Few places in Syria carry as much historical significance as Daraa. Yet the city still bears the marks of displacement, crisis, and poverty. Even in recent months, people have continued to arrive in Daraa,…
Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan are just some of the humanitarian crises around the world where Norwegian Church Aid is present. Here is an overview of many of the crises we are responding to.