“Community-Based Protection and Empowerment for Women and Youth” is a protection and empowerment project supporting refugees and host community members in Mardin and Kilis, Türkiye, as well as vulnerable individuals in Aleppo, Syria. Through awareness-raising, training, and psychosocial support activities for women and youth, the project builds lasting, community-based support networks on both sides of the border.
Why This Project?
Türkiye is home to over 3 million refugees — more than any other country in the world. In border provinces such as Mardin and Kilis, refugees make up a significant share of the local population. Shared goals around strengthening economic resilience and improving access to public services, combined with cultural proximity between the two communities, provide important common ground. Women in these conditions face many hardships; yet their resilience and potential remain the most fundamental source of community recovery.
In Syria, the end of a prolonged period of conflict in late 2024 has been followed by voluntary return movements. However, in cities including Aleppo, infrastructure is still being rebuilt and access to basic services has not yet been fully restored. In this fragile environment — where a large share of the population relies on humanitarian assistance and youth unemployment is widespread — women and youth are both among the most affected groups and the most powerful drivers of community recovery.
The Project and Its Goals
The project aims to build communities where vulnerable women and youth are stronger, better informed, and safer. The project has two core objectives:
- Strengthening the rights, safety, and resilience of Syrian and Turkish women in Türkiye;
- Supporting youth and adolescents in Syria to actively participate in community recovery through psychosocial support, protection awareness, and life skills.
Activities in Türkiye
In Mardin and Kilis, the project runs four main activities targeting women aged 25–55 from refugee and host communities. These include:
- Awareness sessions on violence against women and reproductive health; information meetings on legal rights and how to access services;
- Community dialogues focused on preventing early and forced marriages.
- Selected women from the community will be trained as “Community Mothers” — trusted figures in their neighborhoods who provide reliable information and peer support.
- Youth aged 12–29 will also benefit from workshops and training on protection, social cohesion, and resilience.alışmaları ile eğitimler düzenlenecektir.
Activities in Syria
In Aleppo, the project works through a local civil society partner to deliver activities for youth and adolescents. These include workshops on protection and community safety; community dialogues on peaceful coexistence and rebuilding trust between divided groups; targeted support for adolescents at risk of early marriage; psychosocial support through safe spaces and group sessions; and life skills training covering communication, leadership, and problem-solving.
The Türkiye–Syria Connection
One of the most distinctive features of the project is the uninterrupted support bridge it builds between Türkiye and Syria. Female members of Syrian families planning to return voluntarily will receive “Returnee Mothers” training in Türkiye before their departure, learning about their rights and available services. Once back in Aleppo, these women will stay in contact with local civil society organizations and guide other women and families in the area. In this way, the support that begins in Türkiye will continue in Syria.
This project is implemented by RET International and LEAP Türkiye from January to December 2026, across Mardin and Kilis in Türkiye and Aleppo in Syria.