{"id":14245,"date":"2025-12-10T11:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T11:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/?p=14245"},"modified":"2025-12-10T11:28:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T11:28:17","slug":"women-in-deir-ez-zor-take-the-lead-in-rebuilding-community-after-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/women-in-deir-ez-zor-take-the-lead-in-rebuilding-community-after-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in Deir ez-Zor take the lead in rebuilding community after war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>For more than a decade, Syria has endured one of the most complex humanitarian crises of the modern era, as the war has reshaped social structures and redefined the roles of its people. Amid these profound transformations, Syrian women<\/a> have emerged as pivotal actors\u2014confronting daily hardships, sustaining their families, and contributing to community recovery. Their journey reflects a shift from being seen solely as victims of conflict to becoming active partners in rebuilding their lives and society.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Deir ez-Zor<\/a> Governorate in eastern Syria\u2014an area that witnessed some of the fiercest battles and widespread displacement\u2014many women recount stories of resilience and the pursuit of stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hasna al-Salem, a resident of Deir ez-Zor, told North Press that she lost her husband and one of her sons during the shelling. \u201cI decided to flee with my remaining children to a safer area within the city,\u201d she said. \u201cThe conditions were extremely difficult, and my greatest concern was protecting my children and meeting their basic needs despite the lack of resources.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, Hasna found work to be her pathway forward. \u201cI began sewing clothes at home, which is my old profession. I launched a small project and, although I face daily challenges, my determination keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She added, \u201cWe do not want to remain victims. We want to be agents of change. Many women have become breadwinners or community activists. What we need is financial and moral support\u2014and real empowerment in decision-making spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azraa al-Ahmad, a young woman from Deir ez-Zor, shared her experience pursuing education and work amid the war. \u201cI was fifteen when the crisis began, and I had to stop studying because of displacement and the destruction of schools. Later, I enrolled in educational courses, earned my basic education certificate, and continued my studies in nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI now work in a local hospital and take part in training programs,\u201d she said. \u201cI believe rebuilding Syria is impossible without the participation of women. They are among the most committed to community recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a woman who introduced herself as Umm Hussein, a member of the Women\u2019s Committee of the Civil Administration in Deir ez-Zor\u2014affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES)\u2014spoke about institutional efforts to support women in the post-war phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the committee, we develop programs aimed at empowering women across various fields and addressing the violations they faced during the conflict,\u201d she said. \u201cWe confront major challenges, especially traditional attitudes toward women and the dire economic situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She explained that the committee implements vocational and craft-training programs to strengthen women\u2019s economic independence, while also enhancing their legal, psychological, and social awareness in cooperation with local and international organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the difficulties, these experiences highlight the central role women in Deir ez-Zor now play in community recovery. After years of devastating conflict, they are no longer passive recipients of suffering but active contributors to rebuilding their lives and supporting the social fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Hasna al-Salem concluded, \u201cThe war took so much from us, but we are still here, trying to build a new life from beneath the rubble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deir ez-Zor Governorate, in eastern Syria, was among the areas most severely affected by the conflict, witnessing intense battles, the rise and fall of ISIS control, widespread destruction, and mass displacement. The prolonged instability left deep social and economic scars, with basic services, education, and livelihoods heavily disrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women, in particular, faced compounding challenges\u2014loss of family members, displacement, restricted access to education and work, and exposure to various forms of violence and discrimination. Yet they have increasingly stepped into new roles, becoming heads of households, community organizers, and participants in local governance structures, including those affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over recent years, humanitarian organizations and local bodies have launched programs aimed at economic empowerment, vocational training, psychosocial support, and legal awareness for women. These efforts seek to rebuild community resilience, promote gender equality, and strengthen women\u2019s participation in decision-making following years of conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, women in Deir ez-Zor represent a crucial force in the region\u2019s recovery, demonstrating that post-war reconstruction is not only about rebuilding infrastructure but also about restoring social cohesion and empowering those who sustained the greatest burdens of violence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) \u2013\u00a0For more than a decade, Syria has endured one of the most complex humanitarian crises of the modern era, as the war has reshaped social structures and redefined the roles of its people. Amid these profound transformations, Syrian women have emerged as pivotal actors\u2014confronting daily hardships, sustaining their families, and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[252,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-democracy","category-women"],"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"This report by Omar Abdurrahman with editing by Jwan Shekaki was published by North Press Agency<\/a> on 16 November, 2025","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14245"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14248,"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14245\/revisions\/14248"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mesopotamia.coop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}