On November 26th, Mars Organization held a public event in the Daraya area of Rural Damascus to launch its project “STEP”, which aims to rebuild partnerships between the community and governmental institutions after the fall of the regime.
The STEP project is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, the European Union, and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. It includes the implementation of community-driven initiatives across Daraya, Muadamiyat al-Sham, Sahnaya, and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya.
These initiatives address essential public service needs while encouraging cooperation between citizens, city councils, and governmental administrations to enhance trust, transparency, and shared responsibility. Once successfully implemented, these initiatives will serve as a model for good governance that can be adopted by local communities and public institutions, contributing to the sustainability of the project’s outcomes.
Before the implementation phase, participants—including volunteer teams and governmental staff—took part in trainings on governance and project planning.
The event saw the participation of volunteer teams from the project areas, along with representatives of governmental institutions and both Syrian and international organizations.
The event featured a speech by the organization’s director, followed by a presentation on the “STEP” project, its objectives, activities, and expected results. Representatives of governmental institutions also delivered remarks highlighting the importance of community participation in public decision-making. Initiative leaders then presented summaries of their projects. The event concluded with a Q&A session, during which attendees’ questions and suggestions were addressed.
