Child Guardians (formerly Hurras network)

About us

Child Guardians (formerly The Syrian Child Protection Network (Hurras)) was born of the need to provide urgent and critical protection to Syrian children, being the most affected victims of the Syrian war. The network began in 2012 when a number of activists and social initiatives joined efforts to find ways to protect children from the effects of the conflict. This led to the launch of the first workshop of its kind in Syria to raise awareness on child protection in 2013.
The workshop triggered a growing number of activities, including the launch of Hurras’s own children magazine (“Tayyara Waraq” or “Kite”), along with a number of workshops and seminars on the principles of child protection for those working with children in Syria. To this end, a licensed organization was established in Turkey in 2015, transforming Hurras from a local community initiative into an organization with a clear organizational structure, administrative policies, and systems of internal control and governance.

Programs:
• Case Management: Case Management is the process of addressing the individual child’s (and his or her family’s) needs for care and protection in an appropriate, systematic and timely manner, through direct support and/or referrals.
• Capacity Building Program: HRS provides technical support to specialized and non-specialized child protection NGOs to ensure they meet the minimum standards of child safeguarding and the required capacity to provide high-quality interventions. Our main goal is developing the capacity of partner organizations and local committees, in order for them to be able to safely identify and refer girls, boys and families that may be particularly at risk.
• Monitoring and documentation: Monitoring and documentation in HRS is a systematic and ongoing collection of information about levels and patterns of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. This includes collecting information about specific incidents or violations.
• Child Protection Messages: Hurras runs an ongoing campaign to provide children and their families with key protection messages to ensure that both boys and girls have access to much-needed child protection services, and to make positive change in their resilience and general behavior. HRS utilizes its wide reach to raise awareness on children’s rights, and to ensure the availability of child protection systems and community-based support for positive coping. In 2012, HRS established a children’s magazine (“Tayara Warak” or “Kite”) designed for children between the ages of 7 and 14 years old. The magazine introduces key protection messages to children in a fun way, along with a wide collection of stories, songs, games, puzzles and handicrafts.
• Child-friendly Space: Child-friendly spaces (CSFs) are safe places we set up for children in affected communities. These spaces are designed to help children return to their normal lives by offering them professional support, fun activities and non-formal education. Children in areas where no other protection services are available can visit our Child-friendly Spaces where they will receive community-organized, structured activities in a safe, child-friendly and stimulating environment. Hurras currently operates 387 child-friendly spaces within two provinces in Syria. Hurras operates three types of Child-friendly Spaces. Standalone Child-friendly Spaces attached to HRS offices; Integrated Child-friendly Spaces in public schools; Mobile libraries are a customized minivan loaded with hundreds of children story books and other psycho-social support materials.

Initiatives:
• The National Program for Education and Child Protection is an independent civil program established to coordinate the efforts of governmental and non-governmental organizations operating inside Syria in the fields of education and child protection.
• Landmines and Unexploded Ordnances: This awareness campaign aims at educating children and parents in Syria about the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnances (UXOs).
• Forced displacement: Our campaign against forced displacement aims to bring grave human rights violations to an end. It also aims to provide a safe environment for the children of those forcibly displaced.
• Save the Rest is a volunteer campaign that demands the release of political detainees and forcibly disappeared persons inside Syrian detention centers, which have been described by Amnesty international as “Human Slaughterhouses”. The campaign aims to help save those who are still alive in these prisons before they are exterminated through starvation, torture, disease or medical negligence.
• No Coercion is a campaign launched by Hurras on 1 November 2017 to raise awareness about the dangers of extremism and coercion practiced in the name of religion. It sheds light on the negative impact of such ideologies on women, children and society. The campaign attempts to refute wrongful notions usually attributed to religion by highlighting the real essence of religious ideals such as mercy, non-violence and justice.
• Our Back to school campaign is aimed at mobilizing communities, donors, partner organizations and governments to establish permanent or temporary learning spaces, or Child-friendly Spaces, for children to develop their potential and improve their psychological and social well-being.
• Our Every day I dream campaign aims at raising awareness of children’s basic rights such as the right to life, education, having a name and a nationality, equal opportunities for boys and girls, and living in a safe and caring environment, in addition to the rights of children with special needs and those who are refugees. The campaign presents eye-catching posters, painting and pictures that reflect the colorful dreams that our children have for their future.

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.