Our Work
1. Rehabilitation and Community Reintegration
2. Recovery Support
3. Educational Support
4. Economic Empowerment Support
5. Emergency Humanitarian Assistance
6. Law and Transitional Justice Unit
1.
Rehabilitation and Community Reintegration
Restoring justice and livelihoods for survivors of the Extermination Prisons under the former Assad regime
Survivors of the Extermination Prisons under the former Assad regime have endured inhumane treatment and prolonged detention, leaving deep physical and psychological wounds. Many also face serious challenges in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods. Through the Survivor Recovery Programme, SSJ provides comprehensive support, including medical assistance, psychosocial care, and support towards self-reliance, with the aim of helping survivors restore dignified lives.
The programme provides trauma-informed medical and psychological care. This includes individual and group counselling, medical care for physical injuries sustained during detention, and specialised support for survivors of sexual violence. Through psychoeducation sessions, the programme also helps reduce social stigma, strengthen resilience, and support survivors in regaining confidence within their communities.
To help restore stability in daily life, the programme also supports survivors’ economic self-reliance. Past activities have included the repair of agricultural equipment, such as tractors, and the provision of start-up materials for small businesses. Practical guidance is also provided to ensure that these resources are used appropriately and sustainably.
Survivors come from diverse backgrounds and circumstances, including women, young people, and those who sustained injuries or long-term disabilities during detention. For this reason, the programme provides vocational training and skills development support tailored to each individual’s situation and needs. Practical training may include tailoring, agricultural machinery repair, language education, and computer programming.
Through this comprehensive support, SSJ helps survivors restore dignified lives and move towards long-term self-reliance. We also work to ensure that survivors’ experiences and voices are not left behind, but instead contribute to building a more just and inclusive society in Syria.
2.
Recovery Support
Returning to communities devastated by years of violence and destruction, and rebuilding what has been lost, is a powerful expression of the resilience and determination of those who stood against oppression and sought change.
Through locally rooted recovery support, SSJ works alongside returnees and their communities to help create the conditions for safe, stable, and sustainable lives.
Our activities include the rehabilitation of homes, schools, and other public facilities damaged by aerial attacks, as well as the repair of essential infrastructure such as water and electricity systems. Together with local communities, we work to rebuild the foundations that enable returning families to restore their lives and look towards the future with confidence.
3.
Educational Support
Sustainable Learning for Syria’s Future
Since July 2022, SSJ has continued to provide educational programmes for more than 900 children living in vulnerable circumstances in northern Syria. We remain committed to ensuring that children can continue their education and exercise their right to learn in a safe environment.
In addition to providing school supplies, supporting access to education, and helping schools retain teaching staff, we place strong emphasis on psychosocial well-being. Schools are equipped with dedicated staff trained in psychosocial support, helping children cope with trauma and supporting their mental and emotional health.
By creating an environment where no child is left behind and where children can reclaim the sense of normalcy that every child deserves, the programme does more than provide access to education. It also strengthens the role of schools as places of protection, stability, and support.
Through this process, children regain confidence in themselves, develop resilience in the face of challenges, and begin to imagine a future filled with possibility.
4.
Economic Empowerment Support
The HIMAWARI Project – A Model for Economic Self-Reliance
In 2023, SSJ launched a project to support the recovery of livelihoods for skilled artisans who play an important role in Syria’s local economy.
Named the HIMAWARI Project, this initiative was established to help displaced shoemakers, bag makers, and other craftspeople regain their economic independence by reopening workshops and putting their skills back into practice. At the same time, the project seeks to create sustainable employment opportunities within their communities.
One of the project’s objectives is to strengthen economic ties and solidarity between the people of Syria and Japan by exporting Syrian-made products to Japan. Through this initiative, the skills, craftsmanship, and resilience of Syrian artisans can reach new audiences while generating sustainable sources of income.
Through the HIMAWARI Project, SSJ supports people facing difficult circumstances by creating opportunities for long-term economic self-reliance. The project also helps preserve traditional skills and craftsmanship that have been at risk of disappearing after years of crisis and displacement, reconnecting their value to society and future generations.
5.
Emergency Humanitarian Assistance
Emergency Support to Protect Lives in Times of Crisis
Military forces of the former Assad regime and their ally, Russia, repeatedly targeted areas perceived to be aligned with the opposition. Communities in rural Aleppo and Idlib Governorate, where SSJ has long provided support, were subjected to repeated aerial attacks despite being home to large civilian populations.
In response, SSJ has delivered emergency humanitarian assistance to affected communities, helping families meet their most urgent needs during periods of crisis and displacement.
Following the devastating Türkiye–Syria Earthquake in February 2023, north-west Syria suffered catastrophic damage. SSJ immediately launched an emergency response operation and provided life-saving assistance to more than 2,000 affected households in Aleppo and Idlib.
In addition to distributing essential relief kits containing food, water, blankets, and hygiene supplies, SSJ established toilets and shower facilities in emergency displacement camps to help protect the health, dignity, and well-being of displaced families.
During the recovery phase that followed the earthquake, priority was given to particularly vulnerable households that faced significant challenges in restoring their living conditions independently. Through the rehabilitation and repair of damaged homes, SSJ helped families return more quickly to safe and stable living environments.
6.
Law and Transitional Justice Unit
The SSJ Law and Transitional Justice Unit was established following the fall of the former Assad regime, when facilities, records, and access to survivors, victims’ families, and witnesses that had long been concealed became increasingly accessible. The Unit works to document serious human rights violations committed throughout the Syrian Crisis, including genocide, torture, enforced disappearance, sexual and gender-based violence, indiscriminate attacks against civilians, the use of chemical weapons, and forced displacement. Through this work, the Unit seeks to contribute to the advancement of transitional justice in Syria. Our trained specialists conduct field investigations, examine and verify evidence, and carry out interviews with survivors and victims’ families. Through these efforts, the Unit preserves reliable records that may contribute to future accountability processes under international law.
The Unit also works closely with the Syrian Interim Government and the National Commission for the Missing, supporting both domestic and international justice processes. Beyond documentation alone, SSJ engages in evidence-based advocacy to ensure that survivors’ voices are heard by the international community and that the truth about past crimes is neither denied nor forgotten. Through these efforts, SSJ seeks to help lay the foundations for genuine reconciliation and lasting peace in Syria.
