DEVELOPMENT 67
therapies, provision of child friendly space for
children at the age group of 4-18.
- Referral Services: Legal referral services, other
referral services.
- Training programs and remedial education
activities: Vocational trainings, language classes,
seminars (hygienic promotion, protection, first
aid etc.)
- Health and Nutrition: Basic physical inspection
for children, assessment for children’s
malnutrition, dissemination of information among
mothers for nutritional care in children.
- Social Activities: cultural expeditions in the
city, harmonization activities with the host
community.
- Advocacy Activities: Assessment of the
problems and the needs of Syrians at the local
level, supporting, complementing the services
of the government authorities, increasing and
strengthening the cooperation mechanism
among the institutions, NGO’s and INGO’s,
increasing awareness.
- Volunteer Activities: Encouraging the
participation of Syrian and host communities to
the activities of the Community Center.
Child Friendly Space in community centers
provides psychosocial support to children who
fled from the conflict in their countries. Child
Friendly Space with the support of UNICEF,
language and craft courses in cooperation with
Provincial Directorate of National Education
and school activities are the main activities of
children program of Community Center Project.
Within the concept of adult program; language
classes, vocational trainings, seminars,social
and cultural events are being organized for
adults in the centers. Adults participate in
vocational trainings such as tailoring, hand-craft
and computer courses in the centers. Syrians
who attend those courses receive a certificate at
the end of the courses
so that they can use the certificates to be
employed after legislation obstacles are
overcome. Referral services are also provided in
the community centers. Referral services include
case studies and guidance, field researches
for determination of the needs and for service
evaluation, providing information about health,
education, security, registration and legal
services for Syrians who live in the villages and
have no access to community center.
Considering the language classes provided in
the community centers, beneficiaries’ lives are
being made easier as the knowledge of the
local language help them both in social life and
access to the services. In this way, beneficiaries
feel themselves more as a part of the local
culture. As far as vocational courses in the
centers are concerned, it is quite important for
Syrians to improve their vocational skills and
learn new activities because vocational training
has a potential for them to generate income,
to contribute to economy of the host country
and also to improve their psychosocial well-
being. Beneficiaries are aware of the fact that
it has much higher importance to have a talent
rather than receive a one-time relief item as a
support from the community centers. Moreover,
Syrians can spend their time useful in a relaxing
environment, socialize in a place where no one
judges them and where their voices are heard.
Community Center Project has been running
since the beginning of 2015 and it has already
touched lives of thousands of Syrians in such a
short time. TRC is aware that Syrians are more
than just numbers and now part of the local
host communities. Providing them psychosocial
support and vocational training are not less
important than providing food and shelter.
Apart from her food and non-food items relief
distribution, TRC wanted to distribute also hope
and happiness for Syrians during their temporary
stay in Turkey. TRC hopes that Community
Center Project will raise awareness and become
another model implementation in this respect so
that we can show the true Turkish hospitality to
those people who count on Turkey and Turkish
people. Q