Enab Baladi – Wasim al-Adawi
The “Shelter” project, implemented by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) to assist displaced persons in Syria, brought smiles to the faces of more than 100 displaced families from the city of Busra al-Sham in Daraa governorate, southern Syria. These families had fled their homes in 2011 and 2012 due to the former regime’s helicopter attacks on the city using barrel bombs.
The head of the Local Council in Busra al-Sham, Abdullah al-Miqdad, told Enab Baladi that the project involves renovating and outfitting 103 damaged homes in the city, most of them located in eastern neighborhoods, which suffered greater destruction from barrel bombs, as these areas had risen up against the former regime earlier than others, he said.
Al-Miqdad added that the project aims to provide adequate housing for displaced families who began returning from refugee camps and neighboring countries to Busra at the start of 2025, after the country was freed from the previous regime. He noted that “the first phase of the project included the renovation of 50 homes in neighborhoods such as Mabrek al-Naqa, al-Juhair, and Rasif Ghasm, with the second phase—covering 53 more homes—scheduled to begin within a week.”
The restoration work is customized according to the condition of each home and includes plastering, electrical wiring, light installation, plumbing, internal and external doors, windows, water tanks, heaters, and flooring with tile or ceramic, depending on each unit’s needs. Medium-quality materials are used to ensure the dignity of the displaced and provide their families with a stable life. For families returning to upper-floor apartments or exposed plots, safety walls are installed on balconies to protect children.
Prior to restoration, DRC engineering and technical teams conducted damage assessments to determine which homes were partially repairable and which were entirely beyond restoration.
The Local Council oversees the renovation and outfitting work carried out by contractors for the damaged homes, handing them back to the displaced owners in coordination with DRC teams and local service providers. According to al-Miqdad, approximately 450 homes in the city require renovation, including 20 homes in the Old City neighborhoods.
Conditions and Requirements
Sources from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) told Enab Baladi that the Shelter project was launched in Syria in 2018 with funding from multiple international donors, and has since restored over 1,200 homes. The project follows a three-phase approach: assessment, tendering, and implementation.
Before launching the Busra al-Sham phase, similar projects were carried out in past years in Naima, Atman, Daraa al-Balad, al-Sadd area, Nawa, al-Sheikh Maskin, and Khirbet Ghazaleh, all in Daraa’s countryside.
In Busra al-Sham, 150 of the most severely partially damaged homes were assessed, and 103 were selected based on a priority scoring system.
The evaluation phase in each town lasts up to two months. Homes must meet specific conditions to qualify: they must be structurally sound, damaged due to the war, and located within a zoning-compliant area. Each home is photographed and sketched to accurately assess its condition. The evaluation also considers the family’s situation—such as whether it includes female breadwinners, elderly members, disabled parents, or children who lost one or both parents due to the war. Homes are selected based on the total number of qualifying factors.
In the second phase, financial estimates for each renovation are determined, followed by a public tender based on projected quantities. After contractors are selected, DRC teams conduct regular monitoring visits to ensure work meets the agreed specifications under the supervision of the Local Council. The process takes up to two months, after which the apartment is officially handed over to the municipality, then to the owner.
The sources also confirmed that the Shelter project is not DRC’s only form of support. The organization is also launching a plan to fund small projects and provide additional income to poor and marginalized families. It also organizes vocational training courses—including metalworking and barbering. In Busra al-Sham, alongside the Shelter project, DRC is working to install solar panels to power one of the city’s drinking water wells, and is also repairing or replacing the deteriorated water network.
Citizens Benefiting from the Shelter Project
“I carried my young son, wounded in the eye by shrapnel, and fled from my home in Busra al-Sham with my wife and four children nearly 13 years ago, terrified of the barrel bombs dropped by regime helicopters on what were supposed to be safe neighborhoods,” said Hael al-Shahmeh (Abu Naif), recounting his story to Enab Baladi with deep sorrow.
He continued, “After the liberation, I returned to find my house nearly destroyed, and the struggle began again to find a place to live.”
Hael explained, “My house was cracked, its doors and windows ripped off, and part of the utilities had collapsed. It was uninhabitable until the mobile engineering teams of the DRC came to assess it. They approved the renovation, which took three months and lifted a huge financial burden off me—I no longer had to pay exorbitant rent.”
He added, “Thank God, I returned to my home. The finishing was reasonably good and allowed me to provide stability for my family and children.”
Another beneficiary, Mohammad Khair al-Miqdad, shared, “I returned from exile in Jordan to find my home destroyed and unlivable. I had nothing to restore it with, so the Shelter project offered by the DRC was a real opportunity to rehabilitate my apartment in a way that meets my family’s needs and spares me major expenses.”
He added that the partial home restoration project has been well received by the displaced community, most of whom cannot afford renovation costs, especially given the specific needs of each home.
Shelter Project Renovates Homes for 100 Families in Busra al-Sham Enab Baladi.
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